Everlasting Story
by Shinzui Naru
Summary: Many years after the Shijintenchi no Sho was closed for the last time, evil forces began to stir in the world of the book. The Suzaku Seishi were called back, and a new Miko was needed, for a colossal battle was about to take place...
1. Legend of the Gods

Fushigi Yuugi: Everlasting Story 

Disclaimer: The characters of Fushigi Yuugi belong to Yuu Watase. Sukunami Youjin, Airashii Nisou, Rinrin, and other new characters belong to me. ^_^

Notes: This is my first attempt at a FY fanfic. Please be nice. ^_^ Oh, this comes after the OAVs, sooo…you might be a bit confused if you haven't seen them. Anyways, on with the fic!

Uhh, I don't know what really happened to the book…I'm just saying that Yui held onto it for some reason…also, this takes place nineteen years (?!) after the OVAs, and in this storyline, seven years ago Taka died in a car accident. (T_T) Yui married Tetsuya when she was nineteen, and Keisuke is married also…some of this may come up in the story. The part of the story in the Universe of the Four Gods is 3 and a half years after the OVAs…it will all be explained in time…I don't know how yet, but it will be. ^_^

Started: May 16, 2001

Finished: soon ^_____^;;;

Chapter 1: Legend of the Gods 

"Mom! I'm home!" an adolescent voice cried, and a door slammed shut.

"Youjin?" 

"Who else?" The young boy met his mother in the doorway and grinned. His mother smiled back.

"That's the smile you got from your father," she pointed out, comparing the grin to her husband's. But then the smiles faded from both of their faces…how long had it been? Youjin had only been eight when his father had died…now he was fifteen, almost sixteen. Time flew by in the blink of an eye…

"Uh, yeah, I have some homework to do, so…" Youjin said, blinking his hazel eyes.

"Right…after you do that, your room needs cleaning, too," his mother pointed out. He smiled a little and went into his room, closing the door behind him.

Miaka went and sat on the sofa. "Has it really been seven years?" she asked quietly. "Taka…why did it have to be you?" 

Youjin studied diligently, hearing his mother's repeated preaching about the importance of school. Finally, when he couldn't stand to look at his books for another minute, he slammed them shut and looked around his room. It _was_ starting to become a bit messy…all right, so 'a bit' would be an understatement. When it came to cleaning, he had always been somewhat lazy.

His mother said that he got _that_ from his father, too. He could hardly stand looking at his mother anymore, seeing the pain of memories in her eyes. She loved his father so dearly, and Youjin looked so much like him. It was almost as painful for him to see her sadness as it was for her to see his father in him.

Reluctantly, he picked up a few stray papers, gathered them into a single stack, and put them neatly on his desk. 

Something went through him just then. Something he had never felt before…but it was so familiar to him. How could he not recognize it? It was so close…

Then, gone.

"I can't do this right now," he muttered, feeling a bit restless. It just didn't seem _right_ at the moment. He grabbed his jacket and left his room, intent on taking a walk.

"Where are you going?" his mother asked as he reached the door.

"I'm going to take a walk…is that alright?" Miaka nodded.

"But be back soon," she added as he left.

~*~

_"Mother…I don't want to see you sad anymore,"_ he thought, frowning. He didn't bother to pay attention to where he walked on the busy streets of Tokyo. Thus, he ended up running into several people that night that one wouldn't want to meet up with. One in particular…

"HEY! Watch where you're-oh, so it's you." Youjin looked up and cursed silently. It was a classmate of his, Yotarou Akutama, who happened to be twice his size and equally as mean.

"Akutama," Youjin whispered. "S-sorry, I'm kind of in a hurry here…" he quickly slipped past the large bully, who grabbed the neck of his jacket and lifted him an inch off the ground.

"I don't remember saying that you could go, Sukunami," Akutama sneered.

"Hey! Let go of me you-" but he stopped himself, before he could say something that he would regret. "Put me down!" He kicked at the air, hoping to connect with Akutama's shins at least, but it was hopeless. If nothing else, Akutama was good at what he did, and what he did was pick on others.

_"Damnit…how do I get out of this?"_ Youjin thought as Akutama laughed in his face. _"Someone help me…"_ Then his body started to glow with a warm, reddish light. Akutama let go of him in surprise and he fell to the ground. Akutama backed away nervously.

"What…what the _hell_ are you?!" he shouted, and turned to run. Youjin never saw which way he went, or anything else for that matter, before blackness flooded his mind.

~*~

When he awoke, the street was a little less crowded. Most of the pedestrians were drunkards now, and it had gotten very late. 

"What was that?" he asked aloud. All he remembered was seeing red…and Akutama was scared out of his wits…but then what happened? Had he just passed out on the street? "Ohhh boy, I'm in big trouble," he muttered, standing up. He almost fell down again though, when all the blood rushed to his head. He felt dizzy, and steadied himself before taking a few cautious steps.

He walked back home with only one thought in his mind: what was that red light?

"It's late," Miaka said when he opened the door.

"I know, I'm sorry." What could he tell her, that he passed out on the street? "I…met up with Akutama and had to find a place to hide out for a while," he explained. It wasn't completely a lie. 

Miaka stood up and looked him in the eye. Youjin always knew that he had her eyes, and it was a bit strange. Miaka put a hand on his head and ran her hand through his blue-green hair with a sigh.

"You look more and more like him every day…and act like him, too," she whispered. Youjin turned his eyes towards the ground, unable to look at his mother.

"I'm sorry, mom," he said. "I really am."

"Y'know…if your father were here…"

"Mom, please don't…" Youjin asked. He hated the _'if your father were here'_ stories…they always made him feel so low and incapable of anything.

"I'm sorry, it slipped," she apologized with a smile.

"Bad habits are hard to break," Youjin added, uncomfortably shifting his weight from one foot to the other. He glanced at a clock on the nearby wall; it read 11:37. "I didn't know it was so late," he muttered. "I should be getting to bed, I guess."

"That would be a good idea," his mother agreed. Youjin sighed and went into his room…still messy. 

_"That's right, I never got around to cleaning up…"_ he thought; and, being unable to sleep, he started to get organized. 

When he sat down on his bed he felt a sharp pain in his leg. He lifted his pant leg and saw a large purple bruise on his shin. _"That must've happened when Akutama dropped me on the ground."_ He frowned. That red light… _"Don't think about it, Youjin…just go to sleep."_

~*~

Rolling out of bed was one of the most difficult tasks that Youjin had to accomplish that morning. Then, remembering the fact that it was a Saturday, he groaned and went back to sleep.

"Talk about _weird_…" he muttered when he finally got up, thinking about the events of the previous night. 

"Youjin? Are you awake?" his mother cried from the next room. "I'm making breakfast!" Youjin jumped out of bed when he smelled the sweet aroma of bacon, and he ran into the kitchen. 

"Thanks, mom!" he said cheerfully as they both say down to eat.

After devouring breakfast in record time, he decided to go for a walk…this time, hopefully he wouldn't meet up with Akutama…

_"That red light…I can't get it out of my head,"_ he thought. _"What _was_ it?"_

~*~

"It seems like such a long time ago," Miaka muttered, staring quietly at her coffee. "Eighteen years…eighteen years ago, I was pulled into that book…and I met you." She sighed. _"Taka…Tamahome…I love you. I can never forget you…"_

She stood up and started to pace, and then, a warm feeling surrounded her. She smiled.

"Taka…" she whispered.

"Miaka…"

Then she screamed.

"No, no, it's okay! Don't be afraid!"

"W-w-w-w-wha…" she stuttered. A figure appeared before her, almost transparent, but still visible. "Taka?!"

"Yeah, it's me."

"B-b…but…"

"Miaka, I had to warn you that something's up. I don't know what it is, but I think it has to do with…with the book…the Universe of the Four Gods," Taka explained. 

"Taka, what is it?"

"I wish I knew…but it might involve Youjin." Miaka gasped.

"Youjin…Taka, what if he gets pulled into the book?!" she shouted, reaching out to grab his hand, but she went right through him. "Sorry," she then apologized, feeling foolish. "I forget sometimes…"

"It's been seven years since then," he told her.

"I know, I know," she whispered. "And it's so hard without you here…"

"Miaka, I miss you so much…" The phone rang. Miaka turned around and looked at it.

"I should get that," she said, turning to face Taka…but he was gone. Miaka ran to the phone and picked it up. "H-hello?"

"Sukunami-san?"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry to bother you…this is Airashii-san…I met you before, when-"

"Yes, when we first moved in here a few months ago," Miaka said. "Is there something I can do for you? You sound upset…"

"Well, yes, I'm worried. My daughter, Nisou, has been missing since last night. I was wondering if you had seen her?"

_"Nisou, that sounds familiar,"_ Miaka thought. _"Airashii Nisou…neighbor…very pretty girl, I believe…that's right! Youjin commented on her when we first moved in here!"_

"Have you seen her, Sukunami-san?"

"No…I'm sorry, Airashii-san, I haven't seen her." Miaka paused. "How long did you say she was gone?"

"She had been in bed with a headache, but when I went into her room to see if she was alright, she was gone."

"Well, I'm sorry I couldn't help you…"

"But if you see her…" Airashii-san trailed off.

"I'll be sure to let you know." With that, she hung up the phone. _"I have a feeling…that something will happen soon…"_ She sighed. _"And I don't think it will be good…"_

~*~

Youjin looked at his watch and sighed; he had been gone for two and a half hours. _"Jeez…I guess that time flies when you're at the arcade…maybe I should be getting home now."_

He stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans and started walking home. Things hadn't been going well at all for the last few weeks…he didn't want to see his mother's sadness again…he couldn't face any of the students after Akutama's humiliating pranks…

_"Maybe it would be better if I left,"_ he thought. _"…if I took a break from everything. That way, things might be better for all of us…"_

He tripped over a crack in the sidewalk and landed flat on his face, cursing to himself a few times. _"I'm always so _clumsy_…!"_ Picking himself off the ground, he saw people around staring at him. He brushed himself off, turned a deep shade of red, and continued walking.

"Things have to get better some time…" 

Youjin continued walking, slower now, trying to think of an excuse for where he had been for almost three hours.

_"Things _will_ get better…"_

Suddenly, even though the winter had been cold and would only get colder, he felt a strange, soothing warmth, like nothing he had ever felt before. It was so familiar…for an instant, he thought he knew what it was, but then it was gone…

_"This happened yesterday,"_ he thought, frowning. He felt strange warmth in his head and touched his forehead; it was hot. Maybe he was running a fever? 

People were looking at him strangely. Pointing and whispering. What was _wrong_ with those people?

There was no chance to even muster up a scream when Youjin saw it: a great red bird that, though he had never seen it before, looked familiar.

And then he was swept away.


	2. The Seven Stars of Suzaku

Fushigi Yuugi: Everlasting Story 

Disclaimer: The characters of Fushigi Yuugi belong to Yuu Watase. But any new characters belong to me. ^_^

Chapter 2: The Seven Stars of Suzaku 

Upon waking from an almost dreamlike state, Youjin saw his surroundings and groaned. _"Okay, time to go back to sleep…"_ he thought, looking at a steep mountain in the distance. So he did so, but when he opened his eyes a second time he noticed that his surroundings were the same.

"This isn't good," he whispered, standing up to take a look around. The only thing he saw that caught his eye was that mountain…he shrugged and started walking. "Might as well take my chances, I guess."

He hadn't taken more than three steps when he heard an unusual sound – almost like a whistle. And it grew louder by the second. A high-pitched scream followed it…and where there's a scream…

There's a person.

That person happened to land right on top of Youjin, and pushed him to the ground.

"Damnit," he cursed. "This just isn't my day…"

"Sorry," said the person who had fallen from the sky…a girl, with short-cropped reddish hair and blue eyes.

"Erm, that's okay…just watch where you're falling next time," Youjin muttered. The girl sat up. "Hey…! I've seen you before!"

"You…have?" she asked. Then she remembered… "That was a few months ago, right? And your name's…Youjin, I think…is that it?" Youjin nodded.

"Airashii Nisou!" he shouted. There hadn't been a day since then that her name didn't pop into his head…he couldn't forget her angelic face…her soft, silky hair…her graceful presence…

"I can't believe you remembered my name!" she said with a giggle. "I don't know whether to be flattered or scared…"

"N-no, I'm not obsessed or a stalker or anything, it's just…" Youjin blushed. "Well, you're the kind of person that's hard to forget." Nisou smiled warmly at him.

"Thank you," she said, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Then she stood up and looked around. "What's this place?"

"Beats me," Youjin said, also standing. "But I was on my way over there to get some answers." He pointed at the mountain, which was dotted with large structures that –Youjin hoped- belonged to beings that looked like humans.

"Jeez!" Nisou shrieked. "It looks like ancient china!"

"Hey!! What the hell are you doing here?! "

Youjin and Nisou turned…and gasped.

~*~

"Did you feel that?"

"…feel what?"

"That…that _thing_ I just felt a minute ago…"

"Genrou, I think you're hallucinating. Eat anything funny-looking lately?"

"I'm not hallucinating…I can't believe I consider you my best friend!" Kouji smirked.

"Well you've gotta admit," he said, preening himself, "It don't get much better than me."

"Kouji…"

"Yeah?"

"Shut your damn mouth."

"Jeez, what bit you in the ass?"

"Shut the hell up!"

"Fine then." They sat in silence for a few minutes. The one called Genrou ran a hand through his fiery red hair and sighed.

_"What _was _that strange feeling…?"_

He felt a third presence in the quiet room and stood up.

"Genrou…?"

"Who's there?" he demanded with a scowl.

"Tasuki, relax, no da…" The flame-haired man smirked. Only one person talked like that. "It's just me, no da."

"Chichiri! Long time no see, buddy!" The young monk materialized before the two bandits, maskless, but with a smile.

"I know," he said. "Three years, no da…"

"So how've ya been?"

"Tasuki, we don't exactly have time for small talk, no da…" 

"Uh-oh…what's wrong?" Genrou –or Tasuki, as Chichiri called him- asked.

"You felt something a few minutes ago, didn't you?" Tasuki nodded. "I did too…and so did the others, no da."

"Uhhh….others?" Chichiri just smiled. 

"I have a feeling that the reason for this is soon to appear, no da," he said. Tasuki opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly the door burst open. Two burly guards stood there, each of them holding up a scruffy-looking teenager dressed in strange clothing.

"Boss!" said one of them, who held up a young girl. "We found these kids outside the gates!"

"What do you want us to do with 'em?" the other one asked. Tasuki frowned…he didn't like intruders. But there was something strange about these two…

"Drop the kids…we'll deal with 'em." He ordered.

"Whatever you say." And the two kids were promptly tossed onto the ground in front of Tasuki.

"Damnit…! Now we're dead for sure!" said one of the teenagers, a young boy. "Nisou, are you okay?" 

"I am now," his companion, the girl, muttered. Then, after looking at Tasuki she added, "But I have a feeling it won't last long…"

"Relax, kid. I just wanna know who the hell you two are," Tasuki told them.

"Uh…I-I'm Youjin…and this is Nisou," Youjin stuttered.

"Nice to meet ya," Tasuki said. "You two are dressed kinda funny…not from around here?"

"I don't think so," Youjin muttered. "Where exactly _is_ here?" Chichiri and Tasuki frowned and looked at each other.

"Maybe that's…" Tasuki trailed off.

"Could be," Chichiri agreed. "But we would be better off discussing this as a group, no da."

"As a group? Chichiri, what the hell are you talking about?"

"As a group," Chichiri repeated. "All of the Suzaku shichiseishi, no da!"

"Shichiseishi…? What's going on here?" Youjin wondered. 

"_All_ of us?! But Nuriko…Chiriko…Mitsukake…Hotohori…they're probably just kids! And how would we expect to find Tamahome?!" Tasuki snapped. Chichiri took him by the arm and led him away from Youjin, Nisou, and Kouji.

"Tasuki, did you sense that boy's aura?" he asked, nodding his head towards Youjin. Tasuki nodded. 

"It _did_ feel kinda familiar, but…you can't be suggesting that…that…"

"That he's Tamahome," Chichiri said. "That's _exactly_ what I'm suggesting. And besides that, the others aren't much of a dilemma, no da."

"Can I ask a question?" Youjin asked, raising his hand.

"Fine," Tasuki said with a sigh.

"What exactly is going on?" 

"Uhhh….Chichiri! Since you seem to have all the answers…you answer the kid's question!"

"And stop calling me a kid!" Youjin snapped. "I'm sixteen, damn it! I'm not a kid!" His words were ignored.

"Tasuki, have you tried to use any of your powers yet?" Chichiri asked. "I mean, have you tried _today_?"

"Nope," Tasuki admitted. "Actually, I haven't picked up that tessen in quite a while…want me to give it a try?"

"If you wouldn't mind, no da."

Tasuki walked to the wall and grabbed his tessen from a shelf on it. He then lifted it above his head and shouted,

"Lekka…SHINEN!" To his surprise, a flame sparked on the end of it. "Hey, it worked!"

"Hey Genrou, mind explaining what the hell's going on?" a very agitated (and almost forgotten) Kouji asked. "And what's that thing on your arm?"

"What thing on my…the symbol! It's back!" Tasuki shouted happily.

"Tasuki, do you have any idea what this means?" Chichiri asked, a severe, serious expression on his face.

"No clue."

"It means that we have someone to protect, no da…a new Miko."

~*~

_"Where is Youjin? He should have been home by now…"_ Miaka thought, fearing the worst. A horrible thought stuck out in the back of her mind. _"…maybe he's in the book after all…"_

With a sigh, she went to the phone. _"Who can I call? Keisuke's out of town…I really don't want to bother Yui about this, but it looks like I have no other choice…"_ She dialed a number where she could reach Yui and waited for an answer.

"Moshimoshi! Kajiwara residence!" chirped a young voice. It was the voice of Yui's eldest son, Suboshi, lovingly named for the warrior that protected her with his life.

"Hello Suboshi, is your mother home?"

"Yeah! Hold on! MOM!!! It's Miaka-san!" the seven-year-old shouted.

"Alright Suboshi, I'll pick it up here!" Miaka heard a _click_ and Yui said, "Hi Miaka."

"Yui…hi," Miaka whispered.

"What's wrong? You sound upset…"

"It's Youjin…he went for a walk and hasn't come back…and that was three hours ago!"

"Oh, Miaka…he's probably okay. You shouldn't worry about him so much…" Yui instantly regretted those words. After all, Youjin was all she had left to worry about… "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way-"

"You're probably right, but…I had a visitor today."

"Oh, Miaka…was it that Imaimashii man again? I thought he had stopped proposing after your seventh refusal-"

"N-no, Yui…it was Taka."

"It was _who_?! That's impossible!"

"I know, I know, I thought so too. But he was right _there_, Yui! And he told me that something was going on with _the book_."

"You mean the…_that_ book?" Yui sounded very worried now…what if something was going on in the Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho? What if they would be involved?

"Yes, and he said that Youjin night be involved…and then he was gone. Oh, Yui, I'm so scared! What if Youjin gets hurt?" Miaka was shouting now, and Yui held the phone away from her ear.

"Miaka, calm down! Come over here and we can figure this out," Yui told her friend.

_"That's right,"_ Miaka thought. _"Yui has the book…"_ She nodded quietly. "I'll be right over."

~*~

"So there's a new Miko somewhere?" Tasuki asked. Chichiri nodded and said,

"I think that's the point of all this…we might need to ask Taiitsukun, though, no da."

"And go all the way to _Mount Taikyoku_?! That's a _long_ way, Chichiri…it'll take a _long_ time to get there…"

"Or, I could come to _you_." The –well, face it, she's an ugly old woman- appeared before the people in the room…and in turn, all except Chichiri screamed. "Calm down, all of you!" Taiitsukun snapped. She turned to Chichiri and said, "You were right about a few points, Chichiri."

"Which points would that be?" the young monk asked calmly.

"There _is_ need for the Suzaku warriors to gather…all of them." She cast a glance at Youjin.

"So you think he's…" Tasuki began. Taiitsukun nodded. 

"I have a strong hunch that he is. And you were right about another thing, Chichiri. There _is_ a new Suzaku no Miko…and she's already here."

"I don't know about you," Nisou muttered, "But I am _totally_ lost on all of this."

"So am I," Youjin agreed.

"You two aren't the only ones," Kouji added.

"Sorry," Nisou apologized. "I guess I just assumed that you were in on this too, since you were already here and you seem to know these guys…"

"Nah. Genrou's my best friend 'n all, but I'm not involved in any of this Suzaku crap," Kouji explained with a grin.

"The best course of action would be to gather the warriors in a safe location and restore them," Taiitsukun was saying to Chichiri and Tasuki. 

"Do you want us to bring _them_ too?" Chichiri asked quietly.

"Yes, of course. But we'll need to test the boy to see if he's really who we think he is."

"Of course, no da," Chichiri and Tasuki agreed.

"Uhhh, where are we all gonna assemble?" Tasuki asked.

"I'll take you there to wait for the others," Taiitsukun told them.

The room began to glow as Chichiri, Tasuki, Youjin, and Nisou were transported to a remote area in the Konan Empire to await the arrival of the four other Suzaku warriors.


	3. Where Stars Gather.....

Fushigi Yuugi: Everlasting Story 

Disclaimer: The characters of Fushigi Yuugi belong to Yuu Watase. But any new characters belong to me. ^_^

Chapter 3: Where Stars Gather… 

"Where are we, _why_ are we here, and _what the hell_ just happened?!" Youjin shouted. He was become a bit irritated about being left in the dark. "You two have left Nisou and me completely out of this, and I, for one, want to know _exactly_ what's going on!! To start with, who are you?"

"Sorry to keep secrets for so long, no da! My name is Chichiri, and this is Tasuki, no da."

"Okay, it's a start…and why do you say _no da_ after everything?"

"I dunno, no da, I just do."

"…Right. Now, where are we? This doesn't look _anything_ like Tokyo…"

"This is the Konan Empire, no da," Chichiri told him.

"Good, we're getting somewhere. So, what's all this 'Suzaku' stuff about?"

"Oh boy, this should take a while…"Tasuki muttered. Chichiri gave Youjin and Nisou a quick overview of the legend of the four gods. Nisou stood up and stomped her foot.

"This…this is insane! I can't believe this is happening! I can't believe I'm not dreaming!" She started pacing.

"Nisou, calm down," Youjin said quietly.

"Calm down? Youjin, aren't you the least bit aggravated about any of this?!"

"I am, I guess," he admitted. "But…well, I was looking for a way not to go home, and I guess I got what I wanted."

"Why…why would you want to leave home?" Nisou sat down beside Youjin and looked at him.

"My mom," he whispered. "She always looks so sad. She thinks about my dad all the time. I can't stand seeing her look so sad…"

"Chichiri, Tasuki!" Both of the celestial warriors' heads snapped up at the sound of Taiitsukun's voice. 

"Will they be here soon?" Chichiri asked.

"Yes."

And suddenly, four small children appeared before them.

"Don't tell me that these are the four warriors you fought with," Youjin groaned.

"Well, not exactly," one of them said, in perfect, straight dialogue. 

"Jeez! You guys must be, what, two years old? Three?! You're too young to be fighting!" Nisou shouted. "You're just kids!"

"We weren't kids before," the same child explained. 

"I see you already remember your former life…at least Taiitsukun spared us that, no da," Chichiri muttered.

"Now, the problem…how do we get our powers back?" said another one of the children, one who looked like he didn't say much.

"That won't be a problem…" Taiitsukun again appeared. "Sorry I'm late, I had another matter to deal with…"

"You were saying?" one of the children asked, blinking violet eyes.

"If you'll all just close your eyes…yes, _all_ of you. Now, let's see…how did that spell go again?"

~*~

Knock…knock…

The door swung open.

"Hi! Mom, Miaka-san is here!" Suboshi shouted. Yui came to the door moments later and watched Suboshi run off with a smile.

"I swear, that boy gets more energetic every day…" she muttered. "Come on in, the book's over here…"

Miaka walked inside and followed Yui to her bedroom. There was a locked cabinet on the far wall, by a window. Yui took a key out of her pocket and fitted it in the lock, then turned it and opened the cabinet door. Inside lay a dirty, shabby red book with writing on the cover.

"Let's take it into the study," Yui suggested, and they did so.

"Maybe…if they're in the story, then we'll know if we read it!" Miaka cried. They opened the book and Miaka looked at it oddly. "It's…in Chinese, I forgot…"

You grinned and began reading.

"_Herein contains the tale of a young lady and her quest to gather the seven constellations of Suzaku together…_ Miaka, it's the same as when we read it."

"Keep going!"

"_And took the place of the former Miko to vanquish the evil left behind…_"

Both of them together shouted, "Left behind?!"

"What could possibly be left there?!" Miaka demanded. "We destroyed Nakago…and Tenku…and everyone else that came against us! What else is there?"

"Could it be Genbu or Byakko?" Yui wondered.

"I-I don't know _what_ it is, but I want my son back!"

~*~

Taiitsukun bent her head and started speaking lowly, in some strange language. The four children felt something strange to through them…like something was waking up…

When they opened their eyes, they were no longer children.

"It is done," Taiitsukun said. "I have awakened the warrior spirits from your former lives…and restored you to those states."

"This is weird," said one of them, with violet hair and eyes. "So we're the same age as when we…"

"That's right," Taiitsukun said. "But in the form you desired when you were reborn."

"So…I get to stay as a woman?" the violet-haired maiden asked. 

"Yes."

"I…I'm still a kid," one of them muttered, frowning. 

"Yes, Chiriko. You may be wise, but you don't yet have the knowledge of adolescence…and that knowledge will someday be vital to your existence," Taiitsukun explained. Chiriko frowned.

"I understand," he said solemnly. The tallest warrior there, Mitsukake, was silent.

"Nuriko…w-why are you looking at me like that…?" said the fourth other warrior, Hotohori. He seemed nervous, understandably, because Nuriko was eyeing him with a ferocious glint in her eyes. (A/N: Gonna be hard writing about Nuriko as a girl… O.o)

"Hotohori, I'm resisting the urge to jump all over you with kisses right now…don't ask me silly questions," she said. Hotohori nervously backed away from the young woman.

Meanwhile, Youjin and Nisou had no clue of what was going on. Youjin cleared his throat loudly, a gesture to draw attention, and the others turned towards them.

"Who are you?" he asked the four new warriors.

"We are the other four of the Suzaku Shichiseishi," Hotohori explained. Youjin fought the urge to bow down at the sound of his voice…like the voice of a king… "I am Hotohori…this is Nuriko, Mitsukake, and Chiriko."

"Nice to meet you," Youjin said dryly.

"Taiitsukun, where's Tamahome?" Nuriko asked, looking around. She didn't see the brash young warrior anywhere.

"He…ah, he had reason not to be here," Taiitsukun explained. "A representative has been selected for him, though." She looked at Youjin and Nisou. "Be polite and introduce yourselves, please."

"H-hi everyone…um, I'm Airashii Nisou…call me Nisou, please," said the young blue-eyed girl, smiling nervously.

"Uh, yeah, I'm Sukunami Youjin."

The warriors were silent…Youjin broke into a nervous sweat. 

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"Did you say _Sukunami_?" Tasuki asked, an eyebrow raised in semi-amusement. "Please tell me I heard that wrong…"

"No, that's what I said," Youjin muttered. "Why? Is that a bad word here?"

"Taiitsukun! Is there any relation between him and Taka?" Tasuki asked. Youjin's eyes lit up at the mention of the name.

"Did you know him? Taka, I mean…did you know him?" he asked hopefully.

"Must be related," Tasuki groaned. "So what, are you his cousin or something?"

"No," Youjin told him. "I'm his son."

~*~

"He _is_ in the book," Miaka said with a heavy sigh.

"Yeah, and there's some girl with him…Airashii Nisou," Yui added.

"Nisou…NISOU!! Oh, I have to make a phone call…I have to call Airashii-san right away!" Miaka rushed to the phone and dialed the number.

"Moshimoshi? Airashii residence…" said the voice of a worried mother.

"Airashii-san, I have something you need to take a look at," Miaka said.

"Sukunami-san? Is that you?"

"Yes, yes! Listen, hurry and come over here. I'll give you the address and directions…"

There was a knock on the door a few minutes later, and Miaka was there to let Airashii-san in.

"Right this way, Airashii-san…"

"Please, call me Kouko."

"Alright then, Kouko…come with me. It's about your daughter."

"Have you found her, S-"

"You can call me Miaka. Yui, she's here!" Miaka cried to her friend in the study.

"What is this all about?" Kouko asked.

"You may not believe this at first, but you must trust us, Kouko!" Miaka exclaimed. "There's only one thing we can do for your daughter, but you have to trust us and believe what we're saying."

"Well, what _are_ you saying?"

Holding up the Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho, Miaka said, "Your daughter, Nisou, and my son likewise, are trapped in this book."

~*~

"Taiitsukun, did you bring this boy here?" Hotohori asked. "Why not just bring Taka as Tamahome?"

"It was just easier this way," Taiitsukun explained. "Youjin was closer to this world than his father was."

"I was…closer?" Youjin repeated. "What does that mean?"

"You were more able to come to this world than your father, I guess, no da," Chichiri muttered. "But why?"

"He was willing to escape his world."

"Jeez! This is too complicated for me!" Youjin shouted, putting a hand on his forehead. "Forget the scientific-whatever explanations and tell me what I'm here for!"

"You're to take the place of your father as the seventh seishi, Tamahome," Taiitsukun explained.

"I-I-I…_what_? You want me to _fight_?!" Youjin found himself backing away from the others. Did they _know_ what they were asking of him?

"We _need_ for you to fight with us," Nuriko corrected. 

"That's right," Taiitsukun said. "Because apparently the rules have changed."

"What rules?" Youjin asked, frowning.

"The rules for the summoning of Suzaku," the old woman continued. "Apparently this time around, the power of all seven warriors _and_ the four Shinzaho relics are needed."

"Taiitsukun! There were only two Shinzahos!" Nuriko shouted.

"Two more were created when Yui summoned Seiryuu and when Miaka summoned Suzaku-"

"Wait!" Youjin shouted. "What was that last part?"

"Miaka and Yui summoned the beast gods…"

"Yui…and m-my…my mom? She summoned this Suzaku thing?"

"That's right! You _had_ to be Miaka's son if Taka was your father!" Tasuki slapped his forehead and laughed. "Why the hell was I surprised at all?"

"So you people…know both my parents?"

"Yeah! Miaka was the Suzaku no Miko, and Taka was…well, he was Tamahome at the time, but whatever. He was one of her seishi, with the rest of us," Nuriko explained, and then she sighed. "Ah, how I love thinking back on the good old days!"

"So…what was my father like then?"

"Oh, he was…well, there's not really a way to explain how he was," Nuriko told Youjin. "Although there are a few words I'd use if he was right here. Stupid, reckless, hopeless, brash, money-grubbing…okay, so he had a good reason. But still, it got annoying…"

"You make him sound like such a bad guy," Chiriko said. "He was very brave…he always put others before himself."

"And he never really tried to kill anyone either," Nuriko added. "The only times I recall him doing that were with Nakago and Suboshi…"

"Suboshi?" Youjin repeated. "That sounds so familiar…isn't that what Yui called her son?" he asked himself. "Yeah, it was…"

"Really? Is she still friends with your mother?" Youjin nodded, and Nuriko smiled. "Good…no matter what Yui did to her, Miaka always thought of Yui as her best friend. They had to become enemies when it came time to summon the beast gods, though. Miaka hated it, and I have a strong feeling that Yui did, too."

"It's hard to imagine my mom being enemies with Yui…" Youjin muttered. "Why'd it happen?"

"It's a long story…"

"If you two are done chatting, it's about time to get down to business," Taiitsukun snapped. "Youjin, I will give you Tamahome's memories and awaken the power your father passed on to you…if you will accept the responsibility to protect your Miko."

"I…" Youjin trailed off. He looked at Nisou, who nodded.

"Go ahead. I'm not any part of this."

"I accept your offer," he muttered.

"Very well. Close your eyes…" Taiitsukun again started speaking in that odd, ancient language, and visions flowed into Youjin's head.

~*~

"Why is my daughter there?" Kouko asked. "Why did this book choose her?"

"I guess we're not supposed to know yet," Yui muttered. "But I have a strong feeling…that she's to become Suzaku no Miko."

"Yui! Do you really think that's it?"

"I don't know, Miaka. I really hope I'm wrong, for her sake."

"Excuse me, could you show me to the restroom?" Kouko asked.

"Down the hall, to the right," Yui said automatically. Kouko stood and walked with the direction that Yui had given her.

"Yui, I don't think it's a good idea to tell Kouko about the sacrifice…not just yet. Not until we know what exactly is going on," Miaka whispered once Kouko was out of hearing distance.

"That would probably be the best thing…yeah, we'll wait to tell her."

"I just hope," Miaka muttered, "That we're wrong about this…"

And they continued to read from the book.


	4. Awakening...

Fushigi Yuugi: Everlasting Story 

Disclaimer: The characters of Fushigi Yuugi belong to Yuu Watase. But any new characters belong to me. ^_^

Chapter 4: Awakening… 

Youjin looked down at his hands. He touched is face…his forehead. His forehead felt hot. The symbol of the ogre glowed brightly.

"I feel so different…like I'm not me any more…am I just Tamahome now, or am I Youjin, or both? I don't understand what's happened to me…"

The memories he had gained were painful and somewhat disturbing. To see someone recklessly put their life on the line for someone…his father had been a brave man.

But to imagine his father and mother being that young…and that _sappy_…he suddenly felt a wave of nausea wash over him.

It passed and he again thought of the offer he had accepted.

_"Now _I_ have to be brave, and fight, like he did…for my Miko. But who is she?"_

"Kid, you okay?" Tasuki asked. Youjin looked at him with hazel eyes and nodded quietly. Tasuki hadn't noticed before how much he resembled his father…but now that he thought of it… he grinned. "Damn, you _are_ your father's son. You wouldn't admit that anything was wrong even if there was."

"Taiitsukun, I've never fought before in my life. How do you –_any_ of you- expect for me to learn in such a short amount of time?" Youjin asked.

"You already know how," Taiitsukun replied. "At least, Tamahome remembers. Let him help you. Just call for him."

Youjin closed his eyes and sighed. Surely enough, he felt the presence of another in his mind. 

"Tamahome…" 

The presence made no reply.

_"Tamahome, wake up…I need your help."_ Still, nothing. _"…We have to work together, Tamahome…father…"_ The presence stirred. _"Help me."_ And, like water flowing from a broken dam, the presence of Tamahome filled him. _"Help me protect Suzaku no Miko…"_

"I, uh, I think he's got it," Tasuki said, watching Youjin's body glow scarlet. "Yeah, definitely." Youjin slowly opened his eyes; they had changed to a strange mix of hazel and violet; switching colors from one moment to the next. Taiitsukun frowned. This wasn't turning out the way she had planned.

"Uh, miss….um, yeah…what's happening to Youjin?" Nisou asked.

"I didn't anticipate this," Taiitsukun muttered. 

"Didn't anticipate what?" Nisou was worried now. Youjin didn't look or feel like himself…

"Tamahome is fighting for control of Youjin."

_"I…I can't move my body,"_ Youjin thought. _"Tamahome…what are you doing? Stop this! We have to work _together_…!"_ He struggled to regain control over his actions. 

"Youjin!" Nisou shouted. "Don't let him control you…you're _you_, you're not Tamahome! Can't any of you do anything?!" She turned to the other warriors and Taiitsukun, who just watched Youjin and Tamahome struggling in the same body.

"This is a test," Chichiri muttered, "isn't it, Taiitsukun? You should have warned him about Tamahome's influence, no da…"

"Hell, he of all people should know what Tamahome is like," Tasuki muttered. "After all, they're related 'n all…"

"Youjin hasn't seen his father in seven years," Nisou whispered. "That's what he told me when we first met."

"Did Taka chicken out and leave them or something?" Tasuki seemed amused now. "Taiitsukun, what happened to Taka?"

"Taka…" Taiitsukun said slowly, still studying Youjin. "He died, seven years ago in their time."

_"Tamahome, let go! Stop fighting me!"_ Youjin mustered all of his strength to fight the entity that wished to possess him. _"I won't let you do this…! If I ever want to see my mother and my home again…I have to win! I _have_ to!"_

He pulled his strength together and tensed the muscles in his arm, trying with all his might just to move it himself. 

"It's like my body's fighting me…damn it, Tamahome! Stop this!" 

"Youjin…!" Nisou shouted. "Come on, you can do this!" She bit her lip and crossed her fingers…he hadn't moved at all since Taiitsukun had awakened the sleeping warrior spirit inside of him. 

Suddenly, his left thumb jerked. His wrist. Then he clenched his hand into a fist slowly. 

He moved a foot forward…and started to walk slowly, as if he was walking through water. But he was _moving_…!

"Youjin!" Nisou cried happily.

"I…I can do this," he muttered, gritting his teeth. "I-I…won't…lose!" With a sudden burst of energy he jolted forward and collided with Tasuki, sending them both sprawling on the ground.

"Damn it!! What the hell did you do that for, you little punk?!" Tasuki shouted, picking himself off of the grassy ground.

"It wasn't _my_ fault!" Youjin yelled back.

"Did you have to land right the fuck on top of me though?!"

"Maybe you should learn to move out of the way then!"

"Shut your damn mouth!"

"The hell I will!"

"Ummm…someone do something," Nisou suggested.

"This is too much fun to watch," Nuriko said, grinning. "I wonder if they'll start fighting?"

"Looks like they already are, no da."

"We're just wasting time with this," Hotohori muttered. "Tasuki! Youjin! We don't have time for this!"

"Sorry," Youjin apologized. "…Even though _he_ started it."

"What the hell?! Shut your fucking mouth, you little bastard!" Tasuki was now chasing Youjin around in circles, and neither of them was gaining an advantage over the other.

"I guess that even though Tamahome's spirit's in another body…he and Tasuki will _never_ get along," Nuriko muttered, folding her arms over her chest.

"Well they'd better learn to, else we won't get anything done, no da."

"Damn it, leave me alone!" Youjin shouted.

"Not before I kick your ass, kid!" Suddenly, Youjin stopped.

"Well, Fang-boy, let's see who gets their ass kicked!"

"You're on!"

"Youjin! This isn't getting us anywhere," Nisou pointed out. "Hotohori said we're just wasting time, and it seems like there's something important that needs to be done, and I want to go home, so please stop!" 

Youjin immediately backed away from Tasuki. Something about the way Nisou spoke reminded him that at some time, he would have to return home…

He would be anticipating that time.

~*~

"So, what, is Youjin Tamahome now?" Yui asked. This was all too much to believe…

"I think he's…I'm not sure," Miaka muttered with a frown. "I'm sure that he's still Youjin…but I suspect that he has Tamahome's spirit in him as well."

"Miaka…" Yui trailed off, looking at her friend with concern. "Are you alright? I know this must be hard…"

"No, Yui, I'm fine," Miaka lied. Dangerous possibilities and situations kept running through her mind…every single _what if_ that went along with Youjin's presence in the book was negative. "I'm just a bit shaken by all of this…that's all."

"This is absurd," Kouko muttered.

"Then why don't you leave?" Miaka asked, looking into Kouko's worried gray eyes.

"Because this is the only lead I have to go on," Kouko explained. "And if I leave now, I may never see my daughter again."


	5. Suzaku no Miko

Fushigi Yuugi: Everlasting Story 

Disclaimer: The characters of Fushigi Yuugi belong to Yuu Watase. But any new characters belong to me. ^_^

Forgot to mention that Hotohori is no longer the emperor. Yeah, he still looks kinda similar to the way he used to and he acts sorta the same too, but he was reborn as a *erm…* commoner. (Didn't have another word for it.) That's the story with all of 'em…they probably have different real names, too, but I don't think they come up in this fic.

Chapter 5: Suzaku no Miko Chapter 5: Suzaku no Miko 

"Taiitsukun, I'm sure I speak for all of us when I ask…what _exactly_ is going on?" Nuriko asked.

"Very well then, I suppose it's time I told you everything…"

"Past time, if you ask me," Youjin muttered. Taiitsukun send a murderous glare in his direction and he immediately shut up.

"A…disturbing event has occurred," Taiitsukun explained. 

"I have a bad feeling about this already," Tasuki muttered. "Damn it, I was _hoping_ we were done with all this fighting shit!"

"Yes, well, something was left unfinished," Taiitsukun snapped. "If you'll let me _continue_…"

"Tasuki, shut up," Nuriko said.

"Fine then."

"As I was saying, some things were left unfinished when the last Miko left this world for the last time. It is the job of the next Miko to fix these things," Taiitsukun explained. "The Gods have made their decision that is the job of the Suzaku seishi only because you were the easiest group to assemble in such a short amount of time."

"I bet we all feel very lucky," Youjin whispered to himself.

"Can I ask a quick question?" Nisou asked. Taiitsukun turned towards her.

"Go ahead, young lady."

"I'll probably regret asking this, but…who exactly _is_ this Miko?"

"Yeah. It's nice to know who we're protecting," Nuriko trailed off. 

"Suzaku no Miko is…you, Nisou. If you will accept the task."

~*~

Kouko nearly fainted. First her daughter was pulled into this book…and now they wanted her to summon a god? It was too much to believe…

"Um…Kouko? Are you alright?" Miaka asked.

"No, I'm not alright," Kouko snapped. "How could I be alright?! My daughter has been pulled into a book, for heaven's sake!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean…look, I know it must be hard, but…"

"I want my daughter back, Miaka! How do I bring her back?" Kouko slammed her hand down on the book. "How do I get her out of there?!" Miaka and Yui looked at each other.

"Kouko…there's no way for you to help your daughter when she's in the book," Miaka explained with a sigh. "And you can't bring her back."

"Wha…Miaka, there has to be something we can do! Please…" Tears were rolling down her cheeks as she pleaded with Miaka. 

"I'm sorry, but it's true," Yui said. "You can't help Nisou any more than Keisuke or I could help Miaka when she was inside the book. All we can do now is read…and pray that they return safely."

The sacrifice that Nisou would have to make stayed in the back of Yui's mind. _"What if she's not strong enough?"_ She had a feeling that Kouko wouldn't be able to handle the possibility that Nisou may never return, but she wouldn't be able to forgive herself if the girl was taken by Suzaku…

_"Nisou, please…give it all of your strength,"_ Yui prayed silently. _"You have to return…"_

~*~

"M-me?! You…you want _me_ to be the Miko?" Nisou shouted. "But why?"

"No one chose you to be Suzaku no Miko," Taiitsukun. "Nor did they choose their other Mikos. But the ones destined to fill the job…the ones with the strength of will were drawn into this world, in one way or another. I called the Miko, that's true, but I didn't specifically call _you_."

A tense moment of silence followed. 

"Will you accept your responsibility as Suzaku no Miko?" Taiitsukun asked. Nisou felt the eyes of the seven warriors on her…there was so much tension in their gazes…everything depended upon her answer.

Finally, she surrendered.

"What…what do I have to do?" Taiitsukun smiled a little. 

"You must summon Suzaku…and make a wish," she explained. "You will get three, and we only require one. So the other two will remain up to you."

"And…and that's it?" 

"Not quite." Nisou frowned…_of course_ things wouldn't be that easy. They never were. "To summon Suzaku, you must find the four Shinzahos."

"What's a Shinzaho?"

"It is a talisman, something worn by the Miko when she summons a beast god. There are four of them, like I said before, and while three of their locations are known, the fourth remains hidden."

"So…first of all, can you tell us where the three Shinzahos are that're not hidden?" Nisou asked. 

"You'll find them in Sailo. The fourth Shinzaho, from the last Suzaku summoning, is somewhere in Konan."

"So…the fourth Shinzaho…was something of Miaka's?" Nuriko asked.

"Yes…the wedding ring she wore when she summoned Suzaku," Taiitsukun explained. "And you will find it in Konan. You should not have much trouble locating the other three Shinzahos."

"Can you give us any clues to where we'll find the one here, though?" Nisou queried. "Anything…anything to go on?"

"I can tell you this: to find it, you must try to think like Miaka. It will follow her heart. Good luck to you, and I will see you again when you find the Shinzahos."

~*~

"My wedding ring…?" 

"Miaka…"

"Yui?"

"What wedding ring?"

"It's nothing."

"It seems important." Yui gave Miaka the 'tell or die' look.

"I can't believe I never told you about that…" Miaka blushed scarlet. "When you returned me to this world and Tamahome came with me, we knew that we might not see each other again…so…um, yeah."

"But you didn't…"

"No!" Miaka coughed. "I mean, I had to be, er…anyways…"

"I never thought you'd take that ring off…but I didn't know how much it meant to you," Yui muttered. "What happened to it?"

"I don't know," Miaka whispered. "I was so upset when I lost it…I thought it had slipped off in the shower or something…I lost it right about the time that…that he…" She didn't say any more, knowing that she would be unable to keep herself from crying.

"It's okay, Miaka…" Yui hugged her friend. 

"I had hoped that this was all over with," Miaka sobbed. "Why will it never end?" She looked at Yui with watery eyes.

"We both hoped that it was…oh, Miaka…everything will work out," Yui whispered. 

"I hope so, Yui…I really do."

~*~

Taiitsukun disappeared, leaving the Suzaku seishi and their Miko in silence. They sat in thought for a minute before Nisou asked,

"So, where should we start?"

"Think like Miaka…" Chiriko muttered.

"Try the nearest restaurant," Tasuki suggested. Youjin laughed.

"That sounds a lot like my mom, all right!" he said between laughs. Suddenly, he was quiet…he felt eyes, from…from somewhere…

"Somethin' wrong, kid?" Tasuki asked. Youjin blinked and looked at the fire-haired bandit.

"N-nah, just thought I heard something," he whispered. Then, as an afterthought, he added, "And don't call me kid."

"I'll call ya whatever I damn well please, kid," Tasuki said, grinning. It was so easy to get the kid riled up…

"Damn it, Tasuki! What'd I just say?!" Youjin stood, balling his hands into fists, ready to fight.

"I dunno, what _did_ you say…kid?" He grinned again. This was so…much…fun!

"Oh jeez…!" Nuriko sighed, putting a delicate hand over her face. "Not again…"

"Tasuki, Youjin," Chichiri said, "We have more important things to worry about, no da." Youjin relaxed and sighed.

"Yeah, I guess you're right…" He stopped again. There was that noise…!

"Youjin? You okay, no da?"

"Did…did _anyone_ hear that noise?" he asked. The others were quiet for a minute, but heard nothing. "I must be going crazy or something…" He sat down in the ground and put a hand on his forehead. "Talk about _stress_…"

Nisou sat down beside him and put a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Youjin…" she whispered. "I know how you feel. It's been a long day."

"Y'know, I have to give my thanks to Taiitsukun for bringing us all here and dropping us in the middle of nowhere with no supplies and nowhere to stay," Nuriko muttered. "Maybe it would be a good idea to find a place to set up for the night?"

"I think Nuriko's right," Hotohori agreed. "It's starting to get dark."

"Jeez…! Where'd the time go?" Youjin said. "It was morning back home…"

"Back home? Do you mean in your world?" Tasuki asked. Youjin rolled his eyes and replied,

"Duhhh…"

"What the hell is with that attitude, kid?! I was just asking a fucking question!"

"Damn it Tasuki! Don't! Call! Me! Kid!!"

"I'll call you whatever the hell I want to, kid!"

"Think happy thoughts," Nuriko whispered. "Count to ten. One…two…three…"

"Nuriko?" Hotohori sent the fuming seishi a questioning look.

"Anger management," she muttered. "Four…five…six…ah, damn, this isn't working." She yelled at the two fighting seishi, "CUT IT OUT BEFORE I DO IT FOR YOU!" Immediately, Tasuki and Youjin froze.

"Er…sorry," Youjin apologized after a moment. "I guess that Fang-boy kinda pissed me off…"

"FANG-BOY?! You little…I'll get you, damn it!" This time, when Tasuki began to chase Youjin, Nuriko stopped him first with her gift of strength. "Agh…Nuriko, Let me go! I'll teach that little dipshit a lesson!"

"Tasuki, we don't have _time_ for this!" Nuriko snapped. "I'm serious! Calm down…we still need to find these Shinzahos!"

"Agh, damn it…you're right," Tasuki muttered. "Just…let go of me, okay Nuriko? Ah, damn, it's still so weird lookin' at you as a girl…" Nuriko smiled.

"What? Aren't I still as beautiful as I was before?"

"You people…" Nisou muttered. "You're so _weird_…"


	6. The Spy

Fushigi Yuugi: Everlasting Story 

Disclaimer: The characters of Fushigi Yuugi belong to Yuu Watase. But any new characters belong to me. ^_^

Chapter 6: The Spy 

A deep, mysterious voice made Youjin open his eyes. The sky was still dark and starry.

"What're they doing? I can't see anything!" Youjin sat up.

"What was that?" he asked quietly.

"Oh no, they heard us! Better be quiet!" Youjin stood, ready to be the brave guard-like person, but instead winced as every muscle in his body ached. Sleeping on the ground wasn't exactly good for a person's body…

"Damn it," he muttered. "Who's there?"

"Nooo, we're in trouble now!" 

_"It's coming from the bushes,"_ the young seishi thought, and so he walked towards the sound.

"He's coming!"

"Show yourself!"

"HIDE!"

Youjin moved the bush aside and was caught off guard by…the most adorable pair of pink eyes he had ever seen in his entire life. The eyes belonged to a young child-like face…the face of a small girl with long black hair, tied in pigtails. She was dressed in strange clothes, like everyone else in this world, with a green shirt and black pants.

"Hello!" she chirped shyly. Youjin just blinked. "Are you there?"

"I heard two people…" he muttered, after recovering from the initial shock.

"I can't believe he heard us both!" the girl chirped, this time lowering her voice by a few notes. "Me neither!" Her voice returned to normal.

"Uhhh…what the hell?" was all Youjin could ask.

"Hello!" the little girl chirped again.

"What…who are you?" Youjin asked.

"I'm Rinrin!"

"And, er…what're you doing here?"

"Just lookin'," Rinrin said innocently.

"Uh-huh, spying is more like it…"

"Youjin? What're you doing up? And what is _that_?" Nuriko asked sleepily. Youjin jumped when he heard her, but quickly identified her voice and settled down.

"I saw her in the bushes. She seems to have two personalities, and she looked like she was spying on us…"

"Spying, eh? Well, there's only one way to deal with snitches." Nuriko grinned and cracked her knuckles. But when she looked at Rinrin's huge, watery pink eyes… "Ohhh, I can't." Youjin facevaulted.

"I'm sorry," Rinrin apologized. "The big tall scary guy wanted me to keep an eye on you…I said I didn't want to but he said he'd hurt me and…and…" she sniffled.

"Oh, it's okay…don't be scared, we won't hurt you," Nuriko said comfortingly. She hugged the little girl. "Uh…by the way, what's your name?"

"Rinrin!" the little girl chirped.

"Any relation to Nyan-Nyan?"

"Who-Who?"

"Never mind." Nuriko sighed. This little girl was so _adorable_! "Anyways, my name's Nuriko. This is Youjin. It's nice to meet you."

"The scary guy said your name was Tamahome though…!" Rinrin said, pointing at Youjin.

"M-me? No…" Youjin trailed off.

"Technically, she's right," Nuriko pointed out. "You _are_ Tamahome…but…"

"Uhhh…'but'?"

"But it's hard…because you're not the same Tamahome we all knew. I mean, we've all changed, but you're a whole different person…"

"Yeah, you're right. I dunno if I should be feeling like me, or if I should be like him, or…or…I just don't know. This is all so _weird_…" Youjin sighed and sat down. However, soon he found a little pink-eyed girl had attached herself to his arm… "Rinrin…"

"Don't be sad, Youjin-san! Everything will be fine!" She smiled at him.

"Rinrin…"

"You can call me Rin for short, if ya want!" 

"Okay then, Rin…thank you," Youjin said. 

"Ohhh, you're so _cute_!" Nuriko squealed, squeezing Rinrin in a tight hug.

"Thank you very much, Nuriko-san, but I can't…can't breathe…" Poor little Rinrin's face started turning colors. First, red…then blue…then purple…and Nuriko let go.

"Sorry! Guess I still can't keep my strength in check!"

~*~

"What do you think it is?"

"Think what is?"

"This Rinrin thing…what do you think it is?"

"I think it's a person…what gave you the idea that it isn't, Miaka?"

"I mean, there are the Nyan-Nyans that kinda seem like this girl…"

"Well, I suppose the only way we'll find out is to keep reading." Yui sent a look at Kouko…the woman looked worried. She opened her mouth and asked,

"How do you do this?"

"Do what?" Miaka and Yui asked together.

"How can you two stay so calm when our _children_ are in there, risking their lives?" Yui and Miaka looked at each other. How did they do it…?

"I don't know," Yui admitted. "But I suppose I really don't have as much of a reason to be upset…if Suboshi had gone in there, I think I would be in hysterics, but…"

"It's still strange…that you named him Suboshi," Miaka giggled. Yui flushed and turned back to the book.

"Yeah, well, he risked his life to protect me when we were younger, remember? I feel like I owe him this…"

"You know what, Yui?"

"What is it, Miaka?"

"Suboshi didn't just protect you because you were Seiryuu no Miko…I think he was really in love with you." Miaka giggled again. 

"I knew it…I always did. And I hate myself for being so cold to him all the time…" Yui whispered. "I just wish I could say I was sorry…" Miaka smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. 

"Yui, I'm sure that wherever he is now…I'm sure he knows you never meant anything harsh." 

"Thank you, Miaka…"

"Okay, so what does the book say?"

"_'The Miko awoke and saw that the others were already up, getting ready to leave. She wondered for a moment how long their journey would last, and when she would finally go home…'_"

Kouko silently watched them read from the corner.

~*~

"So who's this?" Nisou asked with interest, eyeing Rinrin.

"This is Rin," Youjin told her.

"Hello Rin, my name is Nisou."

"Hi Nisou-san, it's so very nice to meet you!" Rinrin giggled.

"Ohhh, she's adorable!" Nisou squealed. "So, Rin, how old are you?" Rinrin counted on her fingers and muttered to herself for a moment before she answered.

"Three hundred fifty three and two months!" she cried happily after a minute of calculation. Nisou sweatdropped.

"That old, huh? You don't look a day over ten…"

Thus began their first full day in the Konan Empire, and the search for the Shinzaho began.


	7. Does this ever END or what?!

Fushigi Yuugi: Everlasting Story 

Disclaimer: The characters of Fushigi Yuugi belong to Yuu Watase. But any new characters belong to me. ^_^

Took a while to get this one done. Started to get a little bit of writer's block. XP

Chapter 7: Does this ever END or what?! 

They had been walking all day.

Nisou wasn't used to so much walking.

After all, her school was near her house, and she hardly did this much walking.

She was NOT happy.

Looking at Youjin, who seemed perfectly happy walking, she frowned.

"You're so quiet," she muttered, walking beside him.

"Hmm?" He looked distracted.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Youjin muttered. "I'm fine."

"No you're not," Nisou objected. "It's not nice to lie…and you shouldn't keep everything hidden away."

"Nisou-san is right!" Rinrin chirped. "Tell us what's wrong?"

"To tell the truth, I don't know…" Youjin said quietly. "I just…nothing should be wrong. But I can't help being worried…"

"Worried? What're you worried about?"

"I don't know if it's me worrying or Tamahome, but I keep wondering if my mom's okay…if she was in the book before, she may already know that we're here…"

"Come to think of it…well, I guess I'm wondering if my mom knows that I'm okay right now," Nisou muttered quietly. "I just ran off last night…I didn't mean to, but I…" She sighed. "I lost my head."

"What happened?" Nisou shook her head.

"Everything seemed wrong, you know? Home, school…"

"You go to what's-it-called…Jonan, right?" Youjin interrupted.

"Huh? Yeah…and I hate it."

"Then why are you going there?"

"Dunno." Nisou shrugged. "I guess I didn't exactly have a choice. I _wanted_ to go to Yotsubadai, but I decided to take Jonan's exam anyways, and I got in…and my mom was really happy because all of my relatives have gone there…I thought it might be fun. But everyone's so stuck-up there…"

"I see."

"You go to Yotsubadai, right?" Youjin nodded. "How do you like it?"

"It's okay, I guess…I'm not really the best at making friends though, so I couldn't really tell you what most of the people are like. Actually, I've been known to make enemies without trying."

"That must be awful…"

"Yeah, especially this one guy…Yotarou Akutama. He seems to hate me."

"Akutama? I've heard that somewhere before…" Nisou stopped walking, lost in thought. "I know! He practically follows me home from school every day! I never figured out why…my mom said it was because he liked me, but…it's kinda scary." She giggled.

"So he's a bully _and_ a stalker?" Youjin asked with a grin. Nisou nodded and laughed. Suddenly, she stopped and stared at Youjin. "What? Is something on my face?"

"No," Nisou whispered. "I just realized…that was probably the first time I've seen a genuine smile on your face." She grinned. "I don't see why you don't use that face more often…it really looks good on you." Youjin blushed and muttered a quick 'thank-you', and then was silent.

By lunchtime, they had come to a pub near the border of Konan. Nuriko frowned; the area looked familiar…

They entered the pub and went to the nearest empty table. Nisou sat down on the wooden bench and sighed.

"I am _so_ tired of walking…" she muttered.

"It's so nice just to sit down again," Nuriko agreed. She grinned and looked at Hotohori, who had chosen to sit down beside her. "Feels like old times again, ne, Heika- I mean, Hotohori?"

"Um…yes, I suppose it does," Hotohori told her with a smile. They held their positions for a minute before they realized that they were staring, and both looked at the wooden table in front of them.

"I guess the next thing to do is find the Shinzaho in Konan, no da," Chichiri muttered. "But where can we find it?"

"We have to think like Miaka…" Nuriko trailed off.

"I bet anything it'll have to do with Tamahome, if it's got to do with Miaka's heart," Chiriko suggested. 

"That's right!" Nuriko shouted, jumping up and throwing a fist down on the table…which coincidentally broke.

"Nuriko…" Hotohori trailed off.

"Sorry, it was an accident!" They moved to a different table, ignoring the quizzical looks they received from other guests at the pub.

"Okay, I don't think either Youjin or I will be much help finding this Miracle Grow (which I do not own, by the way ^_^;;)…yeah, whatever it is," Nisou muttered. "Neither of us knows much about this world, and I don't know anything about…about Miaka. In fact, I'd like to know a bit more about what's happened…and what you guys left unfinished or whatever- hey! Where'd Rinrin go?" The small pink-eyed girl had disappeared.

"I knew she was a spy!" Nuriko jumped up. "She probably went to report back to…back to…"

"The big tall scary man she was talking about?" Youjin offered.

"Yeah! Oh, that pisses me off! And I trusted her, too!" Nuriko balled her hands into fists and slammed her hand down, stopping a few inches from the table. "Hah! I didn't hit it this time!"

~*~

"I have to admit, she's doing better than either of us," Yui muttered.

"You're right about that," Miaka agreed. "She hasn't had any problem collecting the warriors, and she hasn't gotten sick or had any murder attempts or anything…all she really needs to do is find the Shinzahos."

"Yeah, but that seems like it will be a problem…" Yui frowned and began to read from the book again.

"What, may I ask, _is_ a Shinzaho?" Kouko asked, looking over Yui's shoulder at the illustration in the book.

"Something…worn by the Miko when she summons the beast god," Miaka explained, twisting her golden wedding band on her finger. She looked back at the book for a minute and sighed. _"Taka…please watch over our son, and lend him your strength."_

~*~

"We don't have time to worry about where Rinrin's gone," Nuriko said. "We have to concentrate on the Shinzaho." They left the pub and looked around the town they were in.

"It's pretty quiet here," Youjin muttered, looking around. The village _was_ small, and looked mostly like a farming village. Something about the place seemed so familiar…

"Where exactly _are_ we?" Nisou asked.

"I believe we are near Konan's northern border," Hotohori said. "But I'm not sure."

"That seems about right, no da…"

Suddenly, something clicked in Youjin's mind, as well as Nuriko's. They each looked at each other and nodded, running through the street. The others ran to catch up with them.

It was all there…or _not_ there, however you want to look at it. In four years, nothing had changed. Nisou, seeing the wreckage, gasped and whispered,

"This is…awful."

~*~

"What was that?!" Miaka shrieked, pushing Yui out of the way and looking at the book. 

"Miaka, calm down…" Yui mumbled, taking the book back. "What's wrong?"

"Do you think…do you think that's where the Shinzaho is?"

"I dunno, maybe." Yui shrugged.  "What's so special about the place, anyways?" Miaka proceeded to explain the importance of the village. Yui nodded grimly. "It's possible that the Shinzaho is there…but I can't be certain. After all, it follows _your_ heart, remember?"

"Yeah, I know…oh, I hope they'll be alright…"


	8. Follow Your Heart

Fushigi Yuugi: Everlasting Story 

Disclaimer: The characters of Fushigi Yuugi belong to Yuu Watase. But any new characters belong to me. ^_^

Little bit of drama here. ^_^ But don't worry, everyone gets back to normal by the end of the chapter. (By the way, I got the village's name from a site…sorry if it's incorrect. ^_^)

Chapter 8: Follow Your Heart 

"Hakukou." Nuriko spoke the name of Tamahome's home village in a whisper.

"It…what happened?" Nisou asked, still a bit shocked. She had never seen so much destruction inflicted upon such a peaceful-looking place. The house was in shambles…there was nothing left of it but broken boards and stone.

Nuriko whispered the story in her ear. As each word was said, Nisou's eyes grew wider, and wider, and tears threatened to spill down her cheeks.

"Oh God, how awful," she whispered. "Who could do such a terrible thing?"

"It was…it was Suboshi, of the Seiryuu shichiseishi," Youjin said quietly. "And I'll never forgive him." He turned to Nisou, with a strange look in his eyes…his eyes…they were violet.

Without another word, Youjin walked around the wreckage of the house and to a clearing a little ways away.

There were five mounds of earth in the clearing, with stones piled on top of them. The Suzaku seishi and their Miko entered with a grave silence hovering around them. There weren't even any birds singing in the trees.

Youjin was already there, and he was kneeling in front of the five graves…but he wasn't himself. Somewhere, deep in his heart, a quiet voice was crying.

_"The place where I…where he grew up,"_ Youjin thought, with a fiery anger bubbling in his soul. _"The people who raised him and loved him…and looked up to him. The ones he cared about."_ It all seemed so unfair…

Nisou was crying into Nuriko's shoulder. The violet-haired warrior looked sadly at Youjin, as did the others. 

_"I could never do anything!"_ Youjin shouted silently. _"It's so unfair…I could never save any of them…all I could do was watch them die…"_ He stood up. "No more…never again. I will never let anyone else I love die," he promised. His usually-hazel eyes flashed violet and the symbol of the ogre shined on his forehead. "I will do everything I can to protect the people that I love."

"Ah, damn, he even _sounds_ like Tamahome," Tasuki muttered.

"Tasuki…" Hotohori said quietly. "I think that, right now, he _is_ Tamahome."

~*~

_"The ogre symbol glowed on his forehead, and his eyes had turned from hazel to violet. No longer was he Youjin…Tamahome had dominated his mind…"_ Yui read.

"Youjin…" Miaka whispered. "This isn't supposed to happen, is it?! He can't…I won't let him lose himself!" She grabbed the book and shouted, "Youjin! Youjin, snap out of it! You're _not_ Tamahome!" Tears slid down her cheeks as she shouted and begged for him to overpower the personality that had taken control of him.

"Miaka…" Yui whispered.

"Youjin! _Please…!_"

Kouko just watched silently, her eyes wide, as she wondered what would become of the young seishi…and her daughter.

~*~

Nisou found herself unable to control the words that she shouted as she begged for Youjin to become himself again.

"Youjin! _Please…!_" she begged, with tears in her eyes. "Please come back…" She sank to her knees and cried.

Youjin…or Tamahome, now, looked at her with wide, sad violet eyes. 

"Miaka," he whispered once, before his eyes flashed hazel and returned to normal. Then he ran to Nisou's side and put a protective arm around her, whispering words of comfort in her ear. "I'm here…I'm back," he whispered. "Please don't cry…I hate seeing you upset." Nisou looked at him, saw his eyes were back to normal…he was Youjin again.

"It's you again," she said quietly, smiling through her tears. Youjin nodded and wiped her tears away with the sleeve of his shirt.

"Yeah, it's me. I'm okay…and thanks."

"What…?"

"You're the one who brought me back," he said. "If it wasn't for you…I'd probably be lost in there forever."

"If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be in this in the first place. I'm the Miko, remember?"

"Yeah, but I'm pretty sure that this was fate. I would've been brought here to serve the Miko one way or another…whoever she was." He grinned. "I'm just glad that it was you." Nisou blushed and stood up.

"I was hoping that we'd find the Shinzaho here," Nuriko muttered. "After all, this was probably a place that Miaka's heart would've gone out to…"

As they turned to leave, something caught Nisou's eye. A faint red glow…right in front of the five graves. She walked towards it, and gasped.

"Everyone…look at this!"

~*~

"Miaka, it's okay…Youjin's back to normal." Yui smiled. "I think your words reached him.

"My words…? How?" Miaka asked quietly.

"I think you and Nisou were both thinking the same thing…and she said the right things." They both sighed in relief. "Miaka, I think that this could happen again…Tamahome could take control of Youjin again, I mean," Yui muttered.

"You're probably right," Miaka agreed. "Bit I have a feeling that as long as Nisou's there with him, he won't be lost." She smiled. _"As long as Nisou is with him…"_

~*~

"What is it?" Youjin asked, looking at the red glow.

"I'm going to check it out," Nisou muttered, walking towards it. Youjin grabbed her hand.

"You're not going alone…just in case it isn't friendly." Nisou blushed and walked with him.

Nisou bent down to examine the glow. She put her hand into the light and quickly pulled it away, but was unharmed. Youjin did the same, but he felt his hand brush against something. He swept his hand over the ground and picked up something. Holding it in his closed hand, he stood up. 

"What is it?" Nisou asked. Youjin held the object out to her and she gasped. "Could this be…?!" It was a silver ring, with a small red gem in the top. 

The other warriors had come to examine their find. Tasuki shouted,

"Holy shit, that's it! That's Miaka's wedding ring! Fuck man, I didn't think we'd find it out in the middle of nowhere!" Nisou laughed.

"We found it! I can't believe we found it!" She jumped up happily and hugged Youjin. "We did it!" Then she realized exactly what she was doing and let go of him, blushing. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"No, it's okay!" Youjin said in a hurry. "I…really, I didn't mind that much." Both of them were blushing now.

"Ah, kids, no da!" Chichiri joked.

"Damn, guys, you've both turned the same fucking color as Suzaku!" Tasuki grinned.

"Shut up, Fang-Boy," Youjin snapped.

"Wassat, _kid_? Or maybe I should say…" Tasuki's grin got wider. "LITTLE GHOST!!"

"Tasuki, you're pushing your luck…" Youjin grumbled.

"Little ghost, little ghost, hah hah hah! Damn, you really _are _little compared to me, too. You're, what, fifteen?"

"Sixteen," Youjin growled. "And if you don't shut the hell up, I'll…"

"Little ghost! Hahaha!!" Youjin growled and started chasing Tasuki, away from Tamahome's buried family and the resting place of the Shinzaho.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say they liked fighting like that," Nuriko muttered. "Wouldn't you agree, H- er, Hotohori?" She blushed in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I suppose I got into the habit of calling you 'Heika-sama'…"

"It's okay, Nuriko. It's odd thinking of you as a woman now anyways," Hotohori replied.

"Why's that? I was still as _beautiful_ as I am now. I swear, if it wasn't for my strength I'd believe my power as a Suzaku warrior was my overpowering beauty!" she grinned.

"If anyone had that power, it would be me," Hotohori objected.

"Would not."

"Would too."

"Would not."

"Would too."

"LITTLE GHOST! LITTLE GHOST! Hah hah hahahahaha!!"

"TASUKI! Damn it, wait till I get my hands on you, asshole!" Youjin and Tasuki were _still_ fighting…

"They fight worse than Tasuki and Tamahome did," Nuriki muttered. Then, looking at Hotohori, she added, "Would not."

"Would too."

They continued arguing playfully for ten minutes, each stating their own defenses. Then they decided to go to Nisou for their answer.

"Nisou!! We need your help!" Nuriko called in a light, airy voice. Nisou looked up from watching Youjin and Tasuki chasing each other.

"What is it?"

"Which of us looks like our power as a Suzaku warrior would be beauty?" Nisou sweatdropped.

"Well, um, it's uh…I mean…that is to say, well…" she paused. "I don't know. Honestly, you both have an equal amount of beauty." Hotohori and Nuriko glared at each other.

"Uhhh…there are still three more Shinzahos to find, no da…" Chichiri muttered, sweatdropping. Everyone stopped.

"That's right," Youjin said. "But…where can we find them?"

"Sailo…you need to go to Sailo!"


	9. Lost Souls

Fushigi Yuugi: Everlasting Story 

Disclaimer: The characters of Fushigi Yuugi belong to Yuu Watase. But any new characters belong to me. ^_^

This chapter is REALLY LONG!!!

The chapter order's messed up a lot because I took out chapter 9.

Chapter 9: Lost Souls 

It was Rinrin. She smiled just as brightly as ever, even as the Suzaku shichiseishi and their Miko glared at her.

"It's you!" Nuriko snapped. "Where'd you run off to?!"

"I…um…" the young violet-haired girl looked nervous and scared.

"Running to report back to whoever you're working for," Nuriko muttered. "Thought so."

"No, no nononono!" Rinrin shouted. "I just…I'm on _your_ side!"

"Our side…" Youjin trailed off. "What do you mean?"

"You _do_ have enemies here, you know," Rinrin said, suddenly serious. "You're lucky they haven't caught up with you yet. And I'm here to help you."

"Help us…find the Shinzahos?" Nisou asked in excitement.

"Of course!" Rinrin giggled. She looked at Nuriko, who was staring at her oddly. "What's wrong, Nuriko-san?" Nuriko blinked and shook her head.

"It's nothing. But…you remind me so much of –a _CHOO_! Excuse me." Nuriko put a finger over her nose and shook her head.

"Nuriko-san, are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine…you were saying?"

"It's my job to help you find the Shinzahos," Rinrin said. "And to help you stay one step ahead of…_them_."

"Who exactly _is_ 'them'?" Nisou asked. 

"You know, _them_…the bad guys." A sinister shadow covered Rinrin's face as she spoke. "The ones who want to destroy this world!"

"Damn, why is it that every time somethin' happens, someone wants to take over or destroy the whole fucking world?!" Tasuki shouted, gritting his fang-like teeth.

"Why?" Nisou asked. Rinrin looked up at her.

"What do you mean, _why_?"

"There has to be some reason…who _are_ these people? Who are we fighting against?" Rinrin took a deep breath and answered,

"It's…it's the Seiryuu seishi."

~*~

"THE SEIRYUU SEISHI?!" Miaka and Yui cried together.

"Who are they?" Kouko asked.

"We told you about the Suzaku seishi, right? And how Miaka was their Miko?" Kouko nodded. "Well, when I went into the book…I became the Seiryuu no Miko."

"But who _are_ they?"

"They warped me…twisted everything and made me think that I hated Miaka. They made me decide to fight against her," Yui whispered. 

Suboshi stood in the hallway and listened to his mother speak. He had heard this story from when he was a child…but it had been a myth, hadn't it? Was it _real_…? It was almost too much for you seven-year-old to comprehend, but he listened anyways.

"Nakago was basically in charge," Yui continued. "He was so strong…as strong as all of the Suzaku warriors put together, I think. And Soi was in love with him. She had power over lightning…and could control chi through…well, you know."

"In…oh!" Kouko smiled. "I see…"

"There might be children lurking," Yui joked. "And they might not have had _the talk_ quite yet." 

"Ashitare," Miaka whispered. "He was one of the Seiryuu seishi, too."

"Yes, he was part wolf. And he…didn't he? That was his fault."

"Nuriko…" Miaka nodded.

"Tomo was a master of illusions. He…favored the company of men." Miaka giggled.

"I didn't know that," she said quietly. "And there was Miboshi…and he…oh, Chiriko…"

"I never knew what to make of him," Yui muttered. "But when I found out what Chiriko did to himself, to destroy Miboshi…" She shook her head and sighed.

"I think the most decent of the Seiryuu seishi were Amiboshi and Suboshi," Miaka muttered. Young Suboshi gasped. Were they talking about him? Or…or another?

"They were both so kind," Yui muttered. "Although I hardly knew Amiboshi."

"He played beautiful music," Miaka explained. "It was easy to tell that he wasn't truly bad, like he acted when the ceremony to summon Suzaku had been ruined."

"I believe he agreed to do that because-"

"Because he didn't want a war. He and Suboshi watched their parents die…he didn't want that to happen again."

"Amiboshi was so peaceful…Suboshi, on the other hand…"

"I didn't think I would ever forgive him for what he did to Tamahome's family," Miaka whispered. "But I also thought I would never forgive Taka for…" she stopped, feeling tears choking her words. If she continued to speak…

Suboshi was standing in the doorway.

"Mom?" he asked.

"S-Suboshi!" Yui whispered. "What are you doing in here? I thought you were watching television…"

"I…well, it's lunchtime," he explained with a small smile. "I was getting kinda hungry."

"Come to think of it, so am I," Miaka muttered, hearing a loud grumbling from the direction of her stomach.

"Maybe we should all take a lunch break. We can keep reading when we're done…and maybe we can explain more of the story to you, Kouko." The worried mother nodded, looking tired.

"Lunch sounds like a good idea."

~*~

"The Seiryuu shichiseishi?! But…but they all…I mean, we…" Tasuki stuttered. "Shit, man! This is so fucking _weird!_"

"More adequately, the _spirits_ of the Seiryuu seishi," Rinrin explained. "They were left feeling restless…and they're powerful enough to do something about that."

"What exactly do they plan to do?" Youjin asked, hesitating, fearing the answer.

"I…" Rinrin frowned. "I don't know."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU DON'T KNOW?!?!" Tasuki demanded.

"Tasuki! Settle down, no da!"

"The hell I will! This little twirp's pissing me off!!!" Rinrin gave him the saddest, most pathetically cute face she could muster, and he sighed. "Gah…I hate girls."

"Rinrin, is there anything else you can tell us?" Hotohori asked. "Anything at all?"

"Well…two things. One good and one bad. Which one first?" The vote was unanimous for the 'good' news first. "Alright then! Suboshi and Amiboshi aren't here. They're both happy…they didn't want to dig up the past."

"Well I suppose that's good," Nuriko muttered. "Now, what's the bad news?"

"Guess what? The bad news has three parts! Which one-"

"JUST TELL US ALREADY!!!" everyone shouted at once.

"Okay, okay! Well anyways, part one: none of you know what exactly they're going to do next. Part two: even though they're spirits without bodies, they're still strong and can still hurt you. Part three: They're getting stronger with every passing moment. The one thing I know for sure about their intentions is that sometime in the future, they will destroy this world. That's why Taiitsukun brought you and Nisou here," Rinrin said, pointing at Youjin.

"To the past…?"

"Exactly! Now, come on! We have a long journey ahead of us!"

"That's all fine and dandy, but where are we going…?" Nuriko asked. 

"Silly! Didn't I already tell you? We're going to Sailo!"

~*~

"Youjin, what's today?"

"What?"

"We came here on a Saturday, right? So it must be Sunday." Nisou seemed sad…

"Why do you ask?" Youjin wondered.

"Because we have school tomorrow." Nisou sighed. "I can't miss it…I have an important test, and I need to give my science fair project to the teacher. He already looked over it the other day and said I had a chance of winning, and I'd really like to win."

"School…" Youjin whispered. Nothing would ever be the same. He was a different person now… _"Maybe, after this, I'll have the courage to defend myself against Akutama. Maybe…" _Nisou went to Rinrin.

"Nisou-san, you look sad," Rinrin pointed out.

"Rinrin…is there any way that I can go home? I have school tomorrow, and it's very important…and I really miss my mother. She's probably very worried about me. Is there any way…?

"Nisou-san, I wouldn't worry so much. Didn't you know? Time passes more quickly in this world than in yours. In your world, it's probably been just an hour since you left…maybe not even that."

"A…an hour? But…if time passes quicker here, why has it been nineteen years in our world, since Youjin's mom came out of the book, and only three and a half here? I don't understand…"

"Taiistukun waited until there was someone suitable for the role of Miko, and then had to wait for Youjin to grow old enough after Taka died. She sent you into the past, so you could correct the problem before it became too hard to handle."

"But then, why didn't Youjin's mother just make sure the spirits couldn't come here in the first place?" Nisou continued.

"Because she used her three wishes. And she had no idea at the time of what would happen. None of us did, until it was too late." Rinrin sighed. "Taiitsukun even tried sealing them away herself, but she couldn't do anything without the power of the gods."

"I…" Nisou paused for a moment and sorted the information in her head. "I think I understand." But she was still unhappy. Their journey had begun, but when would it end…?

~*~

Sleep came gratefully, but not without struggle. Nisou could not control the fears that loomed in her mind, waiting to jump on her at any moment. But soon she fell into an uneasy, dreamless sleep.

Youjin, on the other hand, was not so lucky. He found himself sitting on the ground, watching Nisou sleep peacefully. He stood up and walked around; the clearing they had found was really very quiet. He sat at the base of a tree and looked up at the sky; at the stars. There were never so many stars in Toyko…

It was all so quiet. Crickets hummed their soft melodies all around, and a gentle breeze softly brushed the trees above him. In that moment, Youjin realized that he could stay there forever, and not care. He wouldn't care…

"Can't sleep?" He jumped, not expecting the sudden interruption.

"No," he muttered dryly, looking at the person who had disturbed the tranquility. It was Nisou…but hadn't she been asleep, only moments before?

"Was that you who was watching me, then?" she smiled a little. "I wasn't asleep."

"Er, well…I mean-"

"Don't worry about it." She shrugged, sitting against the tree beside Youjin. "It's quiet here…I don't think I've ever heard so much nothingness in my life."

"Yeah," Youjin agreed, nodding.

"It's beautiful." 

"I've never seen so many stars before in one place," Youjin admitted. "Except for one time, when I was still a little kid…" Nisou put her head on his shoulder. (A/N: this is referring to the final end of the OAVs with Miaka and Taka and their son…)

"Would you tell me about it if I asked you to?"

"I'd do anything you ask me to," Youjin replied. "After all, you're the Miko and I have to protect you." Nisou smiled.

"Then tell me what you can remember about the stars."

"I was about five years old…maybe a bit younger. It's the most vivid memory of my childhood that I have. My parents had taken me out to the country for the weekend and we stayed outside one night to watch the sun set. I was so excited when I saw all those stars come out…" He closed his eyes and smiled.

"Sounds nice…were you happy as a child?"

"Until my father died, I was. But after that…things kind of fell apart. What about you? What was your childhood like?"

"Quiet…very quiet. Kind of like this…maybe not as serene, though." Nisou looked at the sky again, and saw the moon. It was nearly full. "Wow, I was kinda expecting to see two or three moons here…" she said, giggling. "It's a bit odd to see things almost exactly like they are at home."

"Except home is never this peaceful," Youjin muttered.

"I like it. If I didn't miss Tokyo so much, I'd stay here forever." 

"I was thinking the same thing," Youjin agreed. "But…we don't belong here."

"You're right. We'll have to go home once this is all over." She shivered just a bit. "It's a little chilly." Of course, she had been wearing summer-like clothes. Youjin smiled and put an arm around her. 

"Better?" he asked.

"Much." She smiled contentedly and sighed.

Youjin looked down at her…she was radiant. Her fair face glowed softly with moonlight, and her blue eyes sparkled. He ran his hand through her short red hair and smiled. _"This is it,"_ he thought to himself. _"Might as well go for it…"_

He leaned down just a bit, slowly. Nisou lifted her head ever so slightly, like she was waiting…_was_ she waiting? Youjin felt his heart pounding.

Their lips met briefly, and then parted, but her sweet taste remained with him. After a moment of eternity, he looked at her again, and she was smiling. 

The night was short, and soon the sun had begun to rise. Nisou and Youjin had fallen asleep propped against each other, leaning against the tree. Nuriko woke first, and saw them. Smiling, she muttered,

"Kids…"


	10. Journey to Sailo

Fushigi Yuugi: Everlasting Story 

Disclaimer: The characters of Fushigi Yuugi belong to Yuu Watase. But any new characters belong to me. ^_^

Chapter 10: Journey to Sailo 

At sunrise, and after breakfast, they began traveling again. Rinrin had informed them that it would be a long journey to get to Sailo, but that with each step they came closer.

Nuriko went to speak with Youjin.

"Is it really such a long journey to get to Sailo?" Youjin asked.

"I don't know. I've never really been there."

"Oh…" They walked in silence for a minute.

"You know…you and Nisou make a very cute couple." Nuriko grinned. Youjin just looked at her, shocked. 

"N-Nuriko…"

"Have you kissed her yet?" There was a strange gleam in the Suzaku warrior's eyes.

"W-what?!" Youjin's face turned scarlet.

"You heard me. So, have you?"

"I-it's none of your business!"

"Oh, really? Is it _that_ serious?" Nuriko was becoming amused now, watching Youjin's face turn a deeper shade of red with each word she said. 

"Nuriko…" She sweatdropped and turned around, looking at  Nisou's slightly annoyed face. "What're you doing to Youjin?"

"Ohhh, nothing!" Nuriko said quickly, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. "I'll leave you two alone now!" She went to join Hotohori…and to flirt with him.

The silence that followed Nuriko's departure was tense. Nisou and Youjin both stared at the ground in front of their feet, neither wanting to look into the other's eyes. Suddenly, they both spoke at the same time,

"About last night…"

"Sorry…you go first," Youjin apologized. 

"No, that's okay. You."

"No, really…what were you going to say?"

"Oh…it was nothing, really. I forgot. You?"

"Same here." Another tense moment.

"Look at them, they're so quiet," Nuriko remarked to Hotohori. "Should we do something?"

"What could we possibly do?"

"Well, I…come to think of it, I don't have a clue." Again, there was Nuriko's mischievous smile. "Maybe we can set an example for them?" She put an arm around Hotohori, who blushed.

"N-Nuriko…" He didn't know quite what to say. What _could_ he say to that?

He didn't exactly have a chance, because Nuriko planted a firm kiss on his lips at that moment.

~*~

"GO NURIKO!!!" Miaka shouted, throwing her fist in the air. Yui grinned.

"You sure seem happy for them," she pointed out. They were reading the book while eating sandwiches for lunch.

"Well Nuriko was in love with Hotohori for as long as I can remember," Miaka explained. 

"I see…" Yui grinned. "At least she's got the guts to let him know."

"Mom…" Suboshi trailed off. "I thought you said that the story of the four gods was just a legend?"

"Well it is. The one thing I left out was that it's _true." _Yui explained. "Your name is from one of the Seiryuu scichiseishi, Suboshi, that protected me with his life…twice." She lowered her eyes. "And I hope he and the others rest in peace…"

"So what about the princesses?" Suboshi asked.

"Princesses? You told him they were princesses?" Miaka asked, looking at Yui.

"Well, yeah. I figured it would sound more like a child's story that way." Miaka sweatdropped, but said nothing. And Yui continued to read…

"They came out of the forest and stopped mid-morning to rest," she read. "But all seven seishi felt in their hearts that something was amiss…"

~*~

"You seem tense." Youjin looked at the speaker…Nisou.

"I do?" Nisou nodded. "Yeah, I felt something…not really felt something, but…well, I mean…that is, something doesn't feel right."

"What do you mean?"

"To tell the truth, I'm not sure," Youjin admitted, smiling nervously. "But something feels odd…" They had stopped to rest a bit by the road they traveled on, near a small stream.

"Something does feel off," Nuriko agreed. "But I thought it was just me."

"Is something going to happen?" Nisou asked. "Chiriko, do you have any idea of what's up?"

"Well…" Chiriko paused to think. "The sky. The sky is up." Nisou sweatdropped.

"That's not what I meant…"

"Then what _did_ you mean?" Chiriko looked at her with wide, innocent eyes.

"Just tell me…do you know what's going on?"

"Perhaps because we are Suzaku seishi, we have some sort of sixth sense about danger forthcoming," Chiriko suggested. "I cannot be sure, however, because there are many possibilities."

"Jeez…fuck, I hate feeling like this!" Tasuki snapped. "I feel like somethin's gonna jump outta the damn bushes and attack me or somethin'."

"It's making me uneasy too, no da…"

"I don't like this," Hotohori muttered. The others all agreed.

Nuriko looked at Rinrin. Something felt so familiar about the young girl…

"Nuriko-san, what is it?"

"Nothing, really…" Nuriko muttered. "But I cab;t get over your resemblance to - aaa-_CHOO!!!_"

"Nuriko, are you catching a cold?" Hotohori asked, his voice full of concern.

"No, I'm alright," she muttered. "I just…I don't know. How strange…"

"Maybe we should get moving again," Mitsukake suggested. "We still have a long way to go."

"But remember…" Rinrin began.

"We _know_!" The others shouted. "We get closer with every step!"

"Right!"

"Before we go, I'm going to fill the water jugs at that stream we passed a bit earlier," Nisou muttered. "And I need to relieve myself." She stood…Youjin stood as well.

"But you shouldn't go by yourself…"

"Y-Youjin…" Nisou stuttered, blushing.

"I'll go with her," Nuriko mumbled. "Don't worry about it, Youjin. After all, we can't have you getting _too_ physical with the Miko, ne?" She winked at him and followed Nisou into the woods to find the stream.

Youjin was just confused. Too physical…what did that mean? He looked around…Chiriko seemed to be the only member of the party that hadn't busied himself with anything. 

"Chiriko…" he began, sitting beside the boy. "You heard what Nuriko said, right?" 

"Yes…why? What's wrong, Youjin?"

"Well, uh…what did she mean when she said that?" Chiriko looked startled.

"You don't know…?" 

"Know what?"

"Oh gods, I can't believe you didn't know," Chiriko muttered. Youjin frowned.

"Know _what_?! Just tell me!" he snapped. But then Chiriko looked like he was about to cry, and Youjin apologized for yelling. "But please tell me what you mean."

"Taiitsukun told Miaka first, and she told Tamahome, and then it seemed like everyone knew…I'm sorry, I didn't realize that you and Nisou didn't know." He took a deep breath. "What Nuriko meant is that…well, um," he paused, feeling a bit antsy about to subject. "The Miko must…uh, she must be a virgin. And _unspoiled_…"

"She must be…so then, I can't…I can't touch her," he muttered. "I have to stay away from her."

"Until Suzaku is summoned, that is the case," Chiriko agreed. "I-I'm very sorry to have to tell you that way-"

"No, it's alright. It's good that you said something before it was too late, or else all of this would be for nothing…"

~*~

"What did you mean?" Nisou looked at Nuriko as they searched for the stream. "Not get too physical? What was that supposed to mean?"

"You two shouldn't get too close," Nuriko said. "That's what I meant."

"And why not? What's so wrong with-"

"Until Suzaku has been summoned, the Miko must remain a virgin," Nuriko interrupted…and Nisou couldn't say anything against that. "I'd suggest being a bit more careful from now on." Nuriko turned her back on the startled Miko and looked around. "I don't see this stream anywhere…"

Nisou felt something odd. A moment of uneasiness. And hands…hands, reaching out from the forest. They smothered her and lifted her from her feet, dragging her further into the forest. She reached out, trying to call for Nuriko's help…but darkness suffocated her, and she knew nothing more.

Nuriko felt something was amiss. She turned around to find Nisou, who had become strangely quiet, and saw no one.

"Nisou?" she called. "Hey, where are you? Nisou!!" She cursed under her breath and ran to get the others.

"Nuriko? What's wrong?" Hotohori asked, seeing her run from the forest in a hurry.

"It's Nisou…! She…she…" Nuriko could barely get the words out.

"What is it? What happened to Nisou?" Youjin shouted, jumping up.

"She's _gone!_"


	11. In My Sight

Fushigi Yuugi: Everlasting Story 

Disclaimer: The characters of Fushigi Yuugi belong to Yuu Watase. But any new characters belong to me. ^_^

Please review!! ^____^

Chapter 11: In My Sight 

The word echoed in his mind. _Gone…gone…_ the Seiryuu seishi probably had her. Youjin balled his hands into fists and looked around for something to hit.

"Nuriko, what happened?" Hotohori stood up, looking angry and serious. 

"I-I turned my back for one moment and when I looked again, she was gone…without a sound, without a trace." Nuriko sighed. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," Youjin muttered. "But we have to find her…we _have_ to get her back." The others quickly agreed. 

"No matter what the cost," Hotohori added, "She must not be harmed."

~*~

"K-Kouko…" Miaka trailed off. She looked at the older woman with concern. 

"Miaka, leave her. It's a lot to take in…" Yui suggested, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Mom, what's going on?" Suboshi asked. Yui shook her head.

"I-it's nothing, Suboshi. You don't need to worry about it."

"Someone went into the book?" he guessed. 

"That's exactly right," Miaka said.

"Who was it?" Something seemed odd about the young boy…

"Youjin went into the book," Miaka whispered. "As did Nisou." 

"Damn that book," Kouko muttered. "I want my daughter back…do you hear me?!" Kouko shouted at the book. "Give me back my daughter!!"

~*~

Pain…an unbearable, searing pain that wouldn't end. Her whole body trembled with pain. She couldn't breathe; couldn't move…she couldn't think.

"I'm sorry, did that hurt?" a deep voice asked with false concern. Nisou didn't know the voice, but it sent chills up her spine. She tried to sit up, pushing herself up with her arms. Everything hurt…

"Who are you?" she whispered, looking at the speaker. He was tall, and somewhat transparent. He had unbearably bright blue eyes and long blonde hair. He looked at her, and frowned.

"I was expecting another," he muttered. "But never mind that…I should introduce myself. My name is Nakago." A blue symbol shined on his forehead. One of the Seiryuu seishi…!

"You…" Nisou muttered. "You brought me here?" Then she gasped as pain shot through her body. 

"Not personally," Nakago answered. "Then again, I was not expecting _you_."

"Who were you expecting?" Her arms trembled…everything shook with the pain. 

"I was expecting for Soi to retrieve Suzaku no Miko, of course. I do not know you."

"I _am_ the Miko," Nisou muttered. Nakago grinned.

"Well then, apparently everything turned out for the best. And the boy…he wasn't Tamahome, then?" He _knew_…? Had he been watching them the whole time?

"I won't…won't tell you anything," Nisou muttered, gritting her teeth. Nakago grinned again, and laughed.

"Soi!" he called. A young woman appeared at his command.

"Yes?" she asked, a smile on her face.

"I'm leaving you to deal with this girl," Nakago said. "Make sure she feels pain."

"Yes sir." 

~*~

"It's the Seiryuu seishi, I know it is," Youjin muttered. 

"I couldn't sense anything, no da. It's possible that it wasn't them…perhaps she just went off into the woods, no da."

"I shouldn't have taken my eyes off of her…" Nuriko muttered. "I feel responsible." Hotohori put an arm around her shoulder.

"We can't help what's happened," he said. "And we can't waste time pointing fingers at people. We _must_ find Nisou, and defeat the Seiryuu seishi…at any cost."

"Y-you're right," Nuriko whispered. "I can't blame myself…Chichiri! Can you try to find her aura?"

"I can try, no da." Chichiri frowned in concentration. He searched for Nisou's life force…any sign of it. Then, he found it…but something didn't seem right.

"Can you find her?" Tasuki asked.

"She…she's been taken to Sailo, no da. But we have to hurry, no da. Her aura is very weak."

"If they do anything to hurt her…" Youjin muttered. "If they hurt her, I swear I'll-"

"We'll worry about that when we get there, no da. But for now, we have a long journey."

From a high tree, a few yards away and above them, eyes peered out of the darkness.

"They will never reach Sailo," a voice said, full of confidence. "I will not allow it."

~*~

"Nakago has Nisou," Yui muttered, frowning. 

"N-Nakago?!" Miaka shouted. "What has he done to her?"

"Nothing yet…we'll just have to pray that he doesn't do anything to keep her from summoning Suzaku," Yui said.

"What could he do to…could he _kill_ her?!" Kouko shrieked. "You can't let him kill my Nisou!!"

"He would most likely not kill her," Yui whispered. "He would do something worse…"

"What could he do that would be worse than killing her?" Miaka and Yui looked at each other.

"Something…" Miaka said carefully. "Something inappropriate to say in front of young children." Kouko gasped.

"He wouldn't…"

"He tried to before," Yui explained. "But he's left Soi to deal with her."

"Soi's back, too?!" Miaka shrieked.

"Apparently everyone but Amiboshi and Suboshi." Yui's son jerked his head up at the mention of the name. "Not you, honey…another-"

"I know," Suboshi muttered. "But…Amiboshi?"

"He…I never really met him, but I know that he was Suboshi's twin brother."

"Amiboshi was a wonderful person," Miaka whispered. "And he played beautiful music on his flute." She then looked back at the book. "What happens next?"

"_As noon turned to evening, the warriors continued their search for the Miko, who was in the presence of Soi…_"

~*~

"What do you want with me?" Nisou asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Why are you doing this?"

"Why? Because I cannot sleep easily until I know that this world is nothing more than dust," Soi answered. "I will not rest until I have revenge."

"Revenge…" Nisou trailed off. She was about to speak again, but another bolt of lightning sent pain surging through her body.

~*~

Youjin fell to one knee. Suddenly, everything hurt. He couldn't breathe…he could hardly move. 

"Hey, kid! What the hell's the matter with you?" Tasuki asked.

"I…I can't…" Youjin screamed. _"Nisou…is this what you're feeling? Are they hurting you so much…?"_ Silent tears fell onto his cheeks. The pain…it was almost too much to bear. 

They decided that they could go no further, and settled for the night. 

Youjin's condition did not get better in the hour that followed. Mitsukake tried using his power to heal the young boy, but even that would not reach him. 

"What do you mean, you can't do anything?" Tasuki grumbled. Mitsukake shook his head.

"My power won't reach him," he explained. "He has no physical wounds…this pain he has is coming from elsewhere."

"Then what can we _do_?!" Tasuki demanded. "There has to be something…c'mon, isn't there anything we can do to help him?" Mitsukake was silent… "We can't…there's nothing? He looks like he's gonna die…and we can't do _anything_ to help him?! _Nothing_?! You've got to be joking!"

"All we can do for him is wait," Mitsukake explained. "He's in no physical danger."

"No physical danger," Tasuki repeated. "The hell he isn't! D'you _see_ him?! Can't you see that pain…in his face…he _can't_ survive that! No one can!"

Youjin's body shook with the pain. He could hardly open his eyes. But through the pain, almost like a vision, he could see Nisou. She was in the same agony as he…her clothes had been reduced to ribbons, and there were cuts and bruises all over her. A blueish-white light surrounded her, crackling with energy…like lightning. And he could see the woman who was causing her this pain. He knew her…or, Tamahome did.

Soi.

"He's not getting any better," Nuriko muttered, her voice thick with worry. What if he…no. Nuriko shook her head. _"Just get that thought out of your mind, Nuriko. He won't die. He _can't_ die."_

"Nuriko, look," Hotohori whispered. Youjin's face had relaxed, as his whole body had. He fell into sleep.

"At least he doesn't look like he's in pain any more," Nuriko muttered. "But we still don't know what happened."

"N…" Youjin whispered in his sleep. "Nisou…no…" Hotohori and Nuriko looked at each other. "Soi…"

"Soi?" Nuriko repeated. "Could she be causing this trouble?"

"Don't hurt her…Soi…leave Nisou alone…" Youjin muttered.

"That sudden pain attack…could he feel what Nisou feels?" Hotohori asked. 

"If that's true…" Nuriko added. "Then Nisou's the one who's really in danger."


	12. Light of Dawn

Fushigi Yuugi: Everlasting Story 

Disclaimer: The characters of Fushigi Yuugi belong to Yuu Watase. But any new characters belong to me. ^_^

This chapter took a bit longer than was expected. Might be a little bit weird at first 'cause of the switching back and forth… ^_^;; Please leave a review!!

Chapter 12: Light of Dawn 

Rain. It had started abruptly from blue skies. Chichiri looked up through the trees and wondered if it had been more than a sudden change in the weather.

The others were trying their best to create some sort of shelter from the rain, while Youjin was still asleep. No one wished to disturb him.

Once a suitable shelter had been assembled, the seishi thought about what to do next.

"We can't sit here and wait out this storm," Nuriko pointed out. "Nisou's probably in danger."

"But we're unprepared to travel in weather like this," Hotohori said. 

"Then we need stuff, don't we?" little Rinrin piped up. "Sorry 'bout not getting you anything earlier." The others looked at her.

"Whaddya mean?" Tasuki asked. Instead of explaining herself, Rinrin closed her eyes and started glowing. Soon, all of the warriors were staring at bags that appeared in their hands. He glared at the violet-haired girl and growled, "And you didn't do this in the fucking first place because…?"

"I needed to gain my strength," Rinrin explained. "The journey here from my home took a lot of power." Tasuki 'hmmph'ed in reply.

Nuriko was still worried about Youjin. He had been asleep nearly all day…was something wrong?

"Rinrin?" she asked. "Can you tell me if anything's wrong with Youjin?" Rinrin knelt before Youjin and studied his sleeping form. Suddenly she frowned.

"I know what it is," she whispered. "But you're not going to like it…"

~*~

"I'm home!" Youjin slammed the door behind him. His day at school had been, to say the least, strange. Passing all of his tests with the highest marks, not being chased home by Akutama…in fact, the boy had acted like Youjin's friend. And then, on the way home…

Nisou.

"Hi, Youjin," his mother called from the kitchen. Youjin smelled the delightful aroma of her cooking and went to see what the big deal is.

"Some holiday that I forgot?" Miaka turned and smiled at her son.

"It's your father's birthday." She went back to the oven. Youjin dropped his books on the floor, shocked.

"W-what?" he whispered.

"Ah! He'll be home from work soon. You'd better go get the table cleaned off while I finish what I'm doing here!" Youjin nodded and went to do what he was told, feeling numb all over.

"Something wrong, Youjin?" Miaka asked. He was acting rather strangely…

"Uh…no, I'm okay," Youjin whispered. He had forgotten why he was shaken up. _"Of course it's Dad's birthday! I got his present last week…"_

He shook his head and laughed.

He heard the door squeak open and turned around.

"Hey, Dad!" he shouted, waving at his father.

"Youjin!" his father said happily. "There's someone at the door for you." He stepped aside, revealing Nisou. Youjin's face turned bright red.

"N-Nisou!" he shouted in surprise.

"Hi, Youjin," the young girl said timidly. "I came to return this to you…" she held out a notebook for him. "I forgot that I never gave it back to you…"

"Thanks," Youjin said. He looked at his father, who nodded. "Hey, you want to stay for dinner?"

"I-I wouldn't want to be a bother…"

"It's no trouble!" Miaka said from the kitchen. "I made extra anyways, and I don't want it to go to waste!"

"Well, if you're sure…" Nisou smiled. "Then I'd love to stay!"

~*~

"An illusion," Tasuki muttered.

"There's only one person it could be, no da," Chichiri added. The others nodded in agreement.

"Tomo."

"But how the hell can we snap 'em out of it?" Tasuki asked. "We can't go anywhere when he's fucking unconscious, and I don't plan on carrying him the whole damned way to Sailo." They all looked at Rinrin.

"Any ideas?" Nuriko asked.

"If you know of anything we can do…" Hotohori agreed. "Then please tell us."

"I know of one way to wake him up," Rinrin told them quietly. "But there's a chance that it won't work."

"I don't fucking care! We can't just sit here, damn it! Tell us what it is!"

"Very well then…"

~*~

"That was great, Sukunami-san!" Nisou exclaimed.

"Please, you can call me Miaka." 

"A-all right…Miaka."

"Oh, yeah!" Youjin jumped up. "I'll be right back!" He ran to his room and dove under his bed, retrieving a box wrapped in shiny blue paper. He ran back to where his family sat and put the box in front of his father. "Happy birthday, Dad!" Nisou looked at Youjin's father.

"It's your birthday?"

"Nisou, you may call me Taka," he said. "Yeah, it is." He put his son's gift beside him. "Youjin, I think it's better not to open this while you have a guest." He nodded to Nisou. Then, looking at Miaka, he stood up. "We'll disappear now." He smiled and winked as he and Miaka both went into their room.

"So…" Youjin said quietly.

"Your parents are really nice," Nisou told him.

"You think so?" Then he hesitated and added, "Yeah, I guess they are. What's your family like?"

"I don't know much about my dad," Nisou admitted. "He moved out a while ago. My mother…she really tries hard. She has to raise my older sister and me. But she helps out, you know? She's got a job and she saves all of the money from it for us. I love them both, but sometimes…"

"Sometimes?" Youjin repeated.

"I just need to get away from them sometimes," Nisou explained. "I…I don't know. The silence gets so annoying…no one wants to hurt anyone else, so neither of them really says anything."

"I-I guess that's rough."

"My mom always says I'm a lot like my dad…she looks so sad all the time…I can't stand to see her look so sad."

A flicker of memory. Youjin's hand trembled. He had heard that before…

_"I was looking for a way not to go home, and I guess I got what I wanted."_

"Why…why would you want to leave home?" Nisou sat down beside Youjin and looked at him.

_"My mom," he whispered. "She always looks so sad. She thinks about my dad all the time. I can't stand seeing her look so sad…"_

"Youjin? Are you okay?" Nisou tapped him on the shoulder, and he blinked, snapping out of the memory.

"Yeah," he whispered. "I was just thinking for a minute."

"Maybe I should go…you look tired."

"N-no! That's okay. I'm fine…you can stay for a little while, if you want."

"If you're sure you're okay…"

"I'm fine…don't worry about it." Nisou nodded.

"Alright." There was a long, tense silence. "So…"

"So."

He looked at Nisou, studying her every feature. God, she was beautiful. She pushed her short red hair behind her ear, looking at the ground with those crystal-clear blue eyes. A slight blush crept across her face. She suddenly looked up at him. He turned his eyes away.

"Plenty of fun, right?" Youjin joked. "Yeah, I'm just a great person to hand around with…never a dull moment around me! No way…" Nisou giggled, and he stopped. "What?"

"Nothing. I thought it was funny," she explained.

"Oh. I see." Nisou stood up.

"I really…I should be getting home. My mother will start worrying about me soon." Youjin nodded, looking out the window.

"I'll walk you home," he offered. "I mean…it's getting dark outside, and…well…" Nisou smiled.

"Thank you." 

"Mom, Dad!" he called on his way out, "I'm gonna walk Nisou home, okay? I'll be back soon!"

Oh yeah, I'd like to give a great big thank-you to everyone who's reviewed so far!! Especially Kokkei, Lanen, and Starsaber, for reviewing twice or more. You guys inspire authors to write!! Arigatou! ^_^


	13. Illusion

Fushigi Yuugi: Everlasting Story 

Disclaimer: The characters of Fushigi Yuugi belong to Yuu Watase. But any new characters belong to me. ^_^

Might be a little bit weird at first 'cause of the switching back and forth… ^_^;; Please leave a review!!

Chapter 13: Illusion 

"You can _do_ that?!" Nuriko shrieked. Rinrin nodded.

"But it takes a lot of energy. I don't know how long I can make it last." Rinrin paused, thinking of anything else to add as a caution. "You must be very careful not to act out of place, else Tomo will be able to find you." Nuriko 'hmmph'ed.

"I'd like to meet this guy and see just who the hell he thinks he is…trapping Youjin in an illusion like that!" she muttered, gritting her teeth. Rinrin smiled.

"Now is not the time to fight them, Nuriko," she pointed out. "You'll all have your chance to fight, but that time is not now."

"Fine," Nuriko said, sulking a bit. "I don't care how dangerous this is, just do it. We have to help Youjin."

"You shouldn't make such a decision yourself," Rinrin pointed out. "What about the others?" The other seishi looked at each other.

"Aw, shit. Count me in," Tasuki muttered after a few moments of silence. "What the hell, ya know? Why not? We can't go on without the damn kid anyways, and I won't have anyone to pick on. 'Sides, I wanna get back at that Tomo bastard for everything he did."

"Well, Tasuki's right about one thing, no da," Chichiri said. "We can't keep going without Youjin, so we don't exactly have much of a choice, no da."

"If you're all sure…" Rinrin looked at them sadly. "There is one more thing I must warn you of, though."

"What is it?" Chiriko asked.

"While you are in the illusion, you will be left defenseless. If your real bodies are attacked, you will not survive."

Silence.

That changed everything.

"Do you still want to…?" 

"We have no other choice," Hotohori whispered. Nuriko quickly agreed, as did the others. Tasuki looked at Rinrin.

"Okay then, what do we have to do?"

~*~

Youjin walked slowly home from school, pondering the day's events. How had he forgotten that Nisou was in his classes…? She even sat with him at lunch every day! 

"Are you sure you're okay?" Nisou asked, looking at him. "You've been acting a little strangely since yesterday." His other friends had commented on his behavior as well.

"I think so," he muttered. "I don't know any more…something doesn't feel right." Nisou frowned.

"Doesn't feel right? What do you mean? Are you sick?" 

"No, it's not that…I just…nothing." He gave her a reassuring smile. She slowly inched closer to him until she could rest her head on his shoulder.

"I'm a little sleepy…mind if I use your shoulder as a pillow?"

"Kind of hard to do when you're walking, isn't it?" Nisou smiled.

"You're right, let's sit down somewhere." They eventually found an old stone wall that was low enough on the ground to comfortably sit on. Nisou leaned on Youjin and closed her eyes a bit. Youjin, in turn, put an arm around her.

They sat quietly for a few moments. Youjin thought silently…did he want to ask her? What if she rejected him? But watching her smiling so peacefully, he couldn't imagine anything going wrong. He cleared his throat.

"Nisou…" he whispered.

"Hmm?" Nisou asked sleepily. 

"Hey, listen…uh," he paused, cheeks flaming red. "Jeez, I'm not good at this stuff. Well, um…there's something I wanted to ask you…"

"Ask me?" Nisou asked, seeming a bit eager to hear what it was.

"Yeah. Well, you know…I like you, Nisou. I really do. And…um. Would you…will you go out with me? Please?" His whole face turned crimson…crimson, the color of the phoenix. No, no, the color of Nisou's hair…

Nisou giggled shyly, her cheeks tinged slightly red. She didn't answer for a few moments. Youjin held his breath, fearing rejection.

"Youjin…" she began. He felt it coming. 

'No, let's just be friends. I like you, but not that way. I like someone else. It would be too weird…"

"Of course I will." He felt his heart stop beating for a moment.

"W-what?" he asked.

"I said yes. Silly, why wouldn't I?" She smiled. Youjin smiled a little, still blushing. He then adjusted himself to hold Nisou in a loving embrace.

"Thank you, Nisou," he whispered.

"For what?" she asked, slightly muffled by his shirt.

"For being here," he told you. "Just…thank you."

A couple walked by, hand in hand. The young lady had long violet hair, bound in a braid. The gentleman she held onto had chestnut hair and amber eyes. They noticed Youjin and Nisou, and began mumbling to each other.

"There they are."

~*~

"Why the hell did we all get split up like that, huh?!" Tasuki cursed. Chichiri sighed and looked around.

"Interesting place, no da," he muttered. "But I think I like our world more."

"I'm fucking with you there! Where the hell are all the trees?! Everything's fucking packed in here!"

"I wonder if anyone else has found anything, no da?" Suddenly, Chichiri heard a voice.

"_We've found him!_"

"Who is it, Chichiri?"

"It's Nuriko, no da. Looks like she and Hotohori have found Youjin, no da."

"Then what the hell are we waiting for?! Let's go get him back!"

"_Chichiri, tell Tasuki to wait a little while. We still don't know how to get him out of this._" Chichiri saw a mental picture of Youjin holding Nisou, and immediately understood.

"Tasuki, don't be so hasty, no da."

_"Youjin and Nisou may never find that happiness outside of this illusion," _he thought. _"It would be cruel not to let him enjoy it for a little while."_

~*~

Youjin noticed the young couple staring at him and let go of Nisou. 

"What's wrong?" Nisou asked. Youjin jerked his head a little towards the couple, who began to walk again as if nothing was wrong. Youjin frowned. What the hell were they staring at, anyways?

Why did they look so familiar…?

~*~

"Trapped in an illusion," Yui muttered.

"Youjin…" Miaka whispered.

"And what's happened to Nisou? Where is she?" Kouko demanded.

"We don't know," Yui explained. "The book hasn't said anything about her."

"Can't you ask the book? Will it tell you?"

"No," Yui said, shaking her head. "The book seems to have a mind of its own…it records what it wants the reader to see. I don't think it wants us to know what happens to Nisou quite yet."

"Yui, what's happening now? Is Youjin alright?" Miaka asked.

"_Youjin frowned and stood up, about to follow the young couple, when the phantom girl grabbed his arm…_ Miaka, he might be in trouble."

"I hope the others can help him…" Miaka sighed, staring at the book, and at the Chinese characters that she could just faintly understand. _"I wish there was something I could do to help…"_

~*~

"Nisou, we should be getting home. I have homework to do, and your mother might start worrying about you…" The young girl sighed and nodded.

"You're right. But I'll see you tomorrow, right?" Youjin laughed.

"Of course!"

They went their separate ways.

Youjin arrived home a few minutes later. His mother was home already…but his father, apparently, had not come home yet.

"Hi, mom," he said quietly, trying uselessly to hide the big smile on his face.

"What're you so happy about?" Miaka asked, smiling also. Something was up…she gasped. "Did you ask her…?" Youjin nodded. 

"It was a lot easier than I thought," he told her. Miaka then ordered him to tell her, in detail, the events of the afternoon.

Of course, he left out the part about the oddly familiar young couple that had been staring at them…

~*~

"So this is their world," Hotohori muttered. "It's…" He couldn't quite think of a word for it. 

"It's loud," Nuriko muttered. "And smelly, and small and crowded. I think I like Konan better."

"Me too, no da. But we can't get sidetracked…Youjin needs our help, no da," Chichiri agreed.

"So we find the fuckin' kid and get the hell outta here, no problem. Right?" Tasuki asked.

"It's not that simple," Chiriko told him. "Youjin doesn't remember any of us in his current state. We don't know what might happen if he wakes up in this state."

"He may not remember any of us?" Mitsukake suggested. Chiriko nodded.

"So what the fuck are we supposed to do?!" Tasuki shouted.

"We have to make him remember us."

"And how do we do that, Chiriko?" Hotohori asked.

"I don't know."

"Hey, I have an idea, no da." Chichiri said. "Tasuki, Nuriko, and Hotohori could get into Youjin's school, no da. And Chiriko, you could too, probably. I mean, you're smart enough, no da."

"What about you and Mitsukake, though?" Nuriko asked. 

"Well I…I don't know, no da." He frowned underneath his mask and sighed. "Maybe it's best just to figure that out as we go along, no da."


	14. Ordinary World

Fushigi Yuugi: Everlasting Story 

Disclaimer: The characters of Fushigi Yuugi belong to Yuu Watase. But any new characters belong to me. ^_^

Chapter 14. The illusion continues. When will it end? I have no idea. _

Chapter 14: Ordinary World 

Two days later, four new students entered Yotsubadai high school. Two of them were in Youjin's classes…the ones who called themselves Chiriko and Tasuki. The others, Hotohori and Nuriko, were a few grades above them. Nonetheless, all four seemed to be good friends.

Chiriko and Tasuki were both in Youjin's fourth period class, right before lunch. Neither spoke to him until then.

He had just sat down with Nisou at an empty table when he heard a voice.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" It was Chiriko. He was standing over the table, lunch in hand. Youjin blinked, surprised, and nodded.

"Sure," he muttered.

"Thanks," Chiriko said.

"Hey, pretty girl. You wouldn't mind if I sat here too, would you?" Nisou looked up at the new boy who was hitting on her…Tasuki.

"E-excuse me?" she stuttered.

"C'mon, a gorgeous babe like you's gotta have some, ah, _company_." Tasuki winked at her, and Youjin frowned.

"Sorry pal, she's taken," Youjin snapped. Tasuki scowled at him and sat down beside Chiriko.

"Well _excuuuuuse_ me,"he muttered, toying with his food.

"You're in my fourth period, right?" Youjin asked. "And Nisou's too?"

"Yeah," Tasuki muttered. "But fuck, that class was boring!" He looked up and saw a teacher giving him an angry look.

"Tasuki, you need to watch your language here," Chiriko reminded him. Tasuki nodded and sighed.

"So where'd you guys transfer here from?" Youjin asked. Tasuki and Chiriko seemed at a loss of words when the question was asked. After thinking for a few moments, Chiriko answered,

"Our school closed a few weeks ago." And Youjin left it at that.

"This is a pretty nice-lookin' place," Tasuki said, looking around.

"Chiriko! Tasuki! So _this_ is where you went to!" an older girl shouted, walking in their direction. Another boy, about her age, was following her.

"Nuriko, Hotohori!" Chiriko greeted them. "Why don't you join us? That is, if you two don't mind…" he added, looking at Youjin and Nisou. Having given up all hope of having peace and quiet, Youjin sighed in defeat.

"Why not?" 

"Thank you…my name is Hotohori, and this is Nuriko," the boy said. Youjin studied them…both looked like they should be modeling, or at least already graduating. They were both beautiful.

"I'm Youjin…this is my girlfriend, Nisou." Nisou blushed and leaned against Youjin, smiling. 

"Hello, it's nice to meet you," she said, a bit timidly.

"Nice to meet you, too! So, what grade are you two in?" Nuriko asked.

"Uhhh…tenth," Youjin told her.

"What about you? You don't look like you're our age- I mean, you seem older," Nisou stuttered.

"We're in twelfth," Hotohori explained. 

_"So they're seniors…"_ Youjin thought. _"Tasuki and Chiriko are our age…at least, I _think_ Chiriko is…he looks kind of young."_ He asked Chiriko," How old are you? I mean, you're smart and all, but you don't look that old…"

"I'm fourteen," Chiriko explained. (A/N: I changed his age just a bit…let's just say he was almost fourteen anyways, and his birthday was recently or something. ^_^;;)

"You must be really smart," Nisou said, amazed.

"Yeah! Chiriko's a fuckin' genius!" Tasuki shouted. At the remark, several more supervising teachers scowled at him.

"Tasuki…" Chiriko began.

"I know, I fuckin' know! Sheesh!" He looked at Youjin for a minute. _"He doesn't seem to remember anything…what the hell is wrong with him, anyways?"_

Youjin was carefully studying the four new students. They were all a bit odd, to say the least. But they seemed so familiar…

The bell rang soon after that and Youjin stood, ready to go to class.

"Well, it was nice to meet all of you," he said. "Maybe I'll see you around." He turned and left, waving good-bye to the four new students.

"So, you don't have to leave yet?" Nuriko asked, looking at Nisou.

"Actually, I do," she explained. "Maybe I'll see you later, bye!" She stood and threw her lunch away, then left the cafeteria. 

"He doesn't remember anything," Nuriko muttered. She sighed and looked at her food.

"This stuff's almost as bad as what Miaka cooks," Tasuki muttered, jabbing his food with his fork. 

"Yeah," Chiriko agreed. Hotohori looked at it skeptically and pushed his tray away.

"Suddenly, I've lost my appetite," he said.

"But we don't have time to worry about food right now," Chiriko pointed out. "We need to figure out how to make Youjin remember everything."

"Oh! I think I have a plan!" Nuriko shouted, and explained her idea to the others. Tasuki grinned when she was done.

"I'm all for it…sounds like fun."

"We'll all take part in this," Hotohori said. "We don't have a choice."

~*~

They waited for Youjin after school, and ambushed him when he left the building.

"Hi!" Nuriko greeted him.

"Jeez, you guys scared me," Youjin shrieked, jumping about three feet off of the ground.

"Uh, sorry…" All four of them sweatdropped.

"Youjin!" Nisou cried, running towards him.

"Hey!" he shouted, hugging her when she arrived. She looked at the four students gathered around them, looking with quite a bit of interest.

"What're you all looking at?" she asked, glaring at them. "Perverts…"

"Hmmph! So much for being friends!" Nuriko muttered.

"No, I'm sorry, that was rude," Nisou apologized. "Let's start over, okay? Hi, nice to see you."

"Hi Nisou and Youjin!" Chiriko greeted cheerfully. Tasuki glanced at Nuriko, who nodded slightly at him. He grinned and said,

"Hey, little ghost!" he joked. Youjin froze. That name…! "Somethin' wrong, kid?"

"Youjin?" Hotohori asked. The boy still didn't respond.

"T-Tasuki," he whispered after a few moments. "What did you call me?"

"Uhhh…little ghost? Why?"

"Where did you come up with that?" Tasuki became nervous…what would he say?

"Where'd I come up with it? Well, uh…I…that is…it was my buddy's nickname…you kinda look like him, so I guess…I dunno. Fuck, why does it matter?"

"I-I don't know, it just…" Youjin shook his head. "Nothing, never mind."

"Youjin…are you okay?" Nisou asked. "You've been acting strangely for the past few days…"

"I'm fine, Nisou. Really," he whispered. "But I should probably be getting home…"

"Me too…I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Nisou turned and ran in the other direction, taking the shorter way to her home.

"Well you shouldn't go alone," Nuriko muttered. "Seriously, you're as white as a ghost…Hotohori, maybe you and I should walk him home?" Hotohori shrugged and replied,

"It doesn't matter to me. I don't have any other plans."

"Well, I have to get home…and I'm sure Tasuki does too." Chiriko looked at the flame-haired boy. "Right?" Tasuki nodded. "So we'll see you tomorrow…Youjin, I hope you feel better!" They took off in the other direction.

"You really don't mind going with me?" Youjin asked, looking at the two remaining companions.

"Of course not!" Nuriko said. "Why would we?"

"No reason…I was just wondering." He stood up and started to walk, with Hotohori and Nuriko close behind.

"You and Nisou seem very close," Hotohori said. Youjin blushed and replied,

"Yeah. She's my girlfriend."

"How cute," Nuriko cooed. She leaned closer to Hotohori, who put his arm around her.

"Are you two-" Youjin began.

"Yup," Nuriko told him. 

"Okay." An uncomfortable silence followed, until Nuriko whispered something to Hotohori. He cleared his throat and asked,

"So- ow!" Nuriko had elbowed him in the side.

"So, Youjin, what's your family like?" Nuriko asked quickly.

"Huh?" Why did they want to know about…

"Well, I like knowing about people, you know?" Nuriko said. "I'm just curious."

"Okay, whatever," Youjin muttered.

"Well?"

"My parents are okay. A bit on the odd side, but still pretty cool."

"Who's the good cook? One of them has to be able to cook…"

"My mom. Although my dad said her cooking used to be terrible." Youjin grinned. "He also said that it was weird since she used to like to eat a lot." Hotohori and Nuriko shared a private smile.

"And…you still live with both of your parents?"

"Well yeah, why not?"

"Just asking. Trying to make conversation."

"And you, Nuriko? What about your family?"

"You never tell me much about your family either, Nuriko," Hotohori said.

"Uh, you really want to know?" she asked quickly, almost nervously. Youjin and Hotohori nodded. "Really, they're not that interesting. There's my parents…they're pretty ordinary, actually. I have an older brother…and had a younger sister, too."

"Had?" Youjin repeated.

"Yeah…she, uh, she died a while ago. But anyways, enough about me!" she said. "Hey, Youjin, do you have any aunts or uncles?"

"Well, my uncle Keisuke…my mom's brother. And, well, I consider Yui-san like a relative to me, since she and my mom are so close. And I guess that would make her son Suboshi like a cousin to me…" Nuriko nearly gasped…Suboshi? Of course…Yui had been Seiryuu no Miko. She was probably close to Suboshi…and had named her son after him.

"What about your dad's side? Was he an only child or something?"

"No, I don't think so. Actually, I think he had a few younger siblings, but…" He stopped, frowning. 

"But?" Nuriko repeated.

"I don't know what happened to them."

"Y-you don't know…?"

"It's like…well, I can almost remember. But it's just slipped my mind. It's really frustrating. I'm sure I'll remember later, but- hey, there's my dad!" He waved at his father, who was just stepping out of his car. 

Taka waved back, and walked over to where Youjin, Nuriko, and Hotohori stood. He stopped a few feet away from his son, staring at his companions.

"Hey Dad!" Youjin said.

"Youjin! How was school?" Taka asked, shaking his head. It couldn't be them.

"Great- oh! These guys transferred into Yotsubadai today," he said, pointing to his new friends. "They're seniors. This is-"

"Well, sorry to break this up but we really have to go," Nuriko said. "See you at school, Youjin!" She ran, dragging Hotohori behind her.


	15. Lose Yourself

Fushigi Yuugi: Everlasting Story 

Disclaimer: The characters of Fushigi Yuugi belong to Yuu Watase. But any new characters belong to me. ^_^

THIS IS THE END!!!

…of the illusion, that is. ^_~ Scared ya for a minute, didn't I? This one's a bit longer than the rest. Read, enjoy, and review please! XD

Chapter 15: Lose Yourself 

Nisou caught up with Youjin on their way to school the next morning. They were relatively quiet, reflecting the overall mood of the bright morning.

That is, until their new friends came along.

Youjin first noticed them when they were still small dots on the horizon. The flame-haired boy known as Tasuki was shouting his name.

"Hey, Youjin! Couldja fuckin' wait for us?!" Youjin hung his head in defeat.

"So much for calm and quiet," Nisou muttered. She glared at the four newcomers and turned to Youjin. "You have a little time to talk to your friends," she said, adding an oddly bitter tone to the last word. "I have to get to school early to finish my science project. I'll see you in class!" She took off running.

"What's wrong with her?" Nuriko asked upon their arrival.

"I think we fuckin' scared her off!" Tasuki laughed.

"She had to get to school early," Youjin explained.

"Oh, I see." Nuriko frowned; something was definitely wrong with that girl.

~*~

"This is getting out of control," Yui muttered. "Completely out of control." Miaka sat quietly, hands clasped, her chin resting on them. She didn't reply.

"So that girl you're reading about isn't my daughter?" Kouko asked.

"She's part of the illusion," Yui explained.

"I- I think I understand that. But then, where _is_ Nisou?"

"I think we're about to find out…"

~*~

So tired…so much pain. Loneliness. Darkness.

Silence…that was the worst of it. She could stand the pain; it reminded her that she was still alive. But in the silence, doubts and fears entered her mind. And they were slowly driving her insane.

Soi had been toying with her for hours…now, she had left to go to Nakago's chamber. Nisou smiled grimly; even in death she would visit him. She still loved him. She had gone on about her love for him as she struck Nisou with lightning.

Nisou couldn't decide which was worse: the lightning, or Soi's constant declarations of her love for Nakago.

~*~

Youjin awoke in a cold sweat; where was he? There was a dungeon…lightning…screaming. But now it was gone, replaced by the fluorescent lights of second period. And Nisou…she had been in so much pain…

It had been a dream, one induced by the boring lectures of his ancient history teacher. He glanced at the board to learn what their lesson was about – ancient China. Boring. He put his head back on his desk and went back to sleep. 

Several mountains dotted the otherwise flat landscape. The air was dry and clear; free of pollutants and chemicals. Everything was quiet and peaceful.

_Youjin stood beside Nisou, staring at a large mountain before them. Buildings littered its surface, half-hidden behind rocks or trees. _

"What's this place?" Nisou asked, mystified by the landscape before her. 

_"Beats me," Youjin replied. "But I was on my way over there to get some answers." He pointed at the mountain._

_"It looks like ancient china!" Nisou gasped. _

Something jerked him awake just then. It was Tasuki, who had Ancient History in third period. The older boy had an amused look on his face. Youjin groggily looked up at him.

"I thought I'd let you know – you're gonna be late for your next class," Tasuki said. Youjin looked around. The whole class, a class of strangers, was looking at him. "The bell rang ten minutes ago."

"Crap," Youjin whispered, biting his tongue to hold back the flood of curse words that ached to escape his mouth. He hastily gathered his books and ran from the room. _"Those dreams,"_ he thought. _"What were they about? And why did they seem so _real_? The sights, sounds…even the feelings. What's going on…?"_

~*~

About mid-morning, rain began to fall heavily, pouring down the windows and tapping softly on the roof. 

Nuriko and Hotohori walked to lunch together.

"I didn't know it could rain inside an illusion," Nuriko muttered, looking around. She frowned as she moved her books from one hand to the other.

"Anything's possible, I suppose," Hotohori replied.

They sat with Youjin again. Strangely, when they got there, Nisou was nowhere to be found…nor was Chiriko.

"Hey kid, where's your girlfriend?" Tasuki asked, only half-teasing. Youjin shrugged.

"She's still working," he muttered, poking at his 'food' with his fork.

"On that fucking science project?! What the hell's wrong with her?"

"Chiriko's helping her." Tasuki nearly choked on his food. He, Nuriko, and Hotohori traded startled, wide-eyed looks. 

"Where are they? D'you know? We're, ah, supposed to keep an eye on Chiriko," Nuriko said.

"I guess they're in the science lab," Youjin explained. He watched them leave, thankful to have some time to think.

"Fuck, this is bad," Tasuki cursed. "The girl is _bad_ news."

"She's not the Nisou that we know, that's for sure," Nuriko added.

"But, well, who is she then?" Hotohori wondered. Suddenly, a name popped into his head. "Could it be Tomo?!"

"Wouldn't be beyond the fuckin' queer," Tasuki muttered. They ran down the hallway, looking for the lab, and they heard a crash.

"What was that?!" Nuriko shouted. 

"It sounded like breaking glass," Hotohori said. Then, a scream. They looked at each other.

"Chiriko!"

~*~

Nisou held part of a broken glass tray in her hand. Chiriko stood opposite of her, sporting a long gash on his cheek. 

"Chiriko!" Nuriko shouted, then glared at Nisou. "Who are you?"

"And what the hell is your problem?!" Tasuki stormed into the room. Nisou laughed. It wasn't the light, airy laugh that they had all heard a thousand times before in Konan, however. Somehow, even though it was the same voice laughing and the same face smiling, she seemed…

Darker.

Her face began to change; her body contorted. Her whole form melted together and began to glow, and she shook. A form began to grow out of the shaking, glowing mass. And soon, the features of this person were unmistakable. 

Last to appear were the striking crimson and black streaks over a white painted face.

Tomo.

"I was fuckin' right!" Tasuki shouted mightily. Tomo cackled in that nasal, high-pitched way that he has.

"Maybe so, but you cannot defeat me now," he said. "I will keep Youjin in this illusion forever, and you can't do anything without him, remember?" He smirked. Tasuki frowned, looking at Hotohori and Nuriko.

"He's right," he said gravely. "We can't do anything." 

Chiriko, meanwhile, was studying Tomo. There was something important that he recalled Miaka telling him…he just had to remember.

~*~

"Something I told him?" Miaka looked from Yui to the book and back again. 

"Yeah," Yui said. "The book says that you told him something while you were in Sailo. He thinks it was important."

"Something important…" Suddenly, her mind wandered back to a time that was so long ago, when she was still young. When the memories were still fresh in her mind. 

_"I'm sure you think this is a huge bore," Miaka said to the young scholar. He shook his head, smiling._

_"I'd like to know." Miaka eyed him curiously._

_"Why? I mean, it's not that important. He's gone, isn't he?"_

_"Well, I plan to record everything that happens in our journey," Chiriko answered. "Maybe get it published. And since I wasn't there, I'd like to know what happened when you helped defeat Tomo."_

_"Really, I didn't do much," Miaka said, blushing a bit as the second-hand compliment. "Amiboshi is the one who broke Tomo's power over me. I just destroyed the projection thing in the illusion."_

_"How did you do that?" Chiriko had paper and ink ready for recording her statement._

_"I took the pencil that he had given me and I stabbed him. You know that spot in his forehead?" She pointed at the same spot on her own head. "I stabbed him right there. It destroyed the projection and I was released."_

"That must be it!" Miaka stood and grabbed the book from Yui.

"M-Miaka! What are you doing?!" Yui shouted.

"I have to contact Chiriko! He can do it…he can destroy Tomo's projection in the illusion!" She gripped the book with both hands and concentrated on finding Chiriko's life force. When she spotted it, she latched on tightly and relayed her message to him.

Chiriko looked up, feeling a presence invading his mind. It was strangely familiar…

"Chiriko!" He vaguely recognized the voice. It seemed older and quieter, not the same wailing girlish voice it once was. It had grown and changed, just as the girl who owned it had. "Please hear me, Chiriko! It's Miaka!"

"I know," he said quietly. "You sounded different for a minute."

"I- I've grown up," she answered. "But that isn't the point. I know how you can defeat Tomo's projection." 

"Tell me," Chiriko said.

"The thing on his forehead. The circle." Chiriko looked at Tomo. His headdress was gone…there was a red circle on his forehead, made from the makeup he wore. 

"I see it," he said.

"Hit him there with something sharp. Like glass, or a pencil, or something."

"I will."

"Thank you." Miaka breathed a sigh of relief, and smiled weakly. "And, Chiriko?"

"You want to add something?"

Miaka took a deep breath and said, "Don't lose to them. For the sake of my son and for everyone else…for Nisou, too. Please, don't lose." Chiriko smiled cheerfully. It was the smile she remembered from the last time she saw him. The same optimistic smile that he always had.

"We won't. I promise." She let go of his life force and the connection was broken.

"He'll do it," she said quietly, looking at Yui and Kouko.

"Does this mean that they'll get out of this and go rescue my daughter?"

"I hope so, Miss Kouko," Yui muttered. "I really do."

~*~

Chiriko looked around. There had to be something…

The shard of glass that Tomo had used to cut Chiriko was on the floor. He took a few quiet steps forward and grabbed it, careful not to make noise. 

Nuriko noticed what he was doing and went to distract Tomo. She charged at him, knowing very well what would happen.

Realizing that he was about to be tackled, Tomo moved out of the way. 

"You really are a foolish woman, you know," he said. "I assumed you would know that-" He was cut off as Chiriko, who had been standing on one of the lab's tables, ambushed him. He wrapped his small arm around Tomo's neck and raised the glass shard in his other hand. Blood trickled down from it; he had cut himself while holding it.

"Chiriko!" Tasuki yelled, genuinely concerned for his young friend.

Ignoring Tasuki's alarmed call, Chiriko thrust his arm forward, stabbing Tomo with the shard of glass. It cut Chiriko's hand as he thrust it into Tomo's forehead, shouting his frustration, trying to push the glass deeper.

Finally, Tomo screamed and exploded into nothingness. The science lab…the school…the people that had gathered in the hallway…they all faded out of sight. What was left was the rain-soaked forest that they had been sheltered from before Rinrin had put them inside the illusion.

"You did it!" Rinrin shouted happily, latching onto the nearest of them: Nuriko. 

"We can't celebrate yet," Hotohori said quietly.

"Hotohori is right, no da," Chichiri added. "Youjin isn't awake yet, no da." Rinrin frowned and closed her eyes. 

"I…feel you…" Youjin whispered while he slept. "I'm…I'm here." For a moment, the others thought he was waking up. But he gritted his teeth as if bearing a terrible pain, screamed, and returned to a silent state. Rinrin opened her eyes and studied the boy for a few moments.

"He shares a very strong bond with the Miko," she muttered at last. "In this state, he will not awaken until she is out of danger, and with us again."

"What the hell?! That's fuckin' crazy! Why the hell won't he?! What the hell did we go into that fucking spell for if we can't wake him up?! Isn't there something we can do?" Tasuki shouted, his face turning red from anger.

"There is one thing we can do," Rinrin told the hot-headed warrior. "But I don't know how it will upset him when he wakes up."

"I don't fucking care if he's upset! What can you do?!"

"I can sever his connection with the Miko."


	16. Lost Bonds

Fushigi Yuugi: Everlasting Story 

Disclaimer: The characters of Fushigi Yuugi belong to Yuu Watase. But any new characters belong to me. ^_^

Chapter 16: Lost Bonds 

Tasuki looked from Rinrin to Youjin and back again.

"Do whatever you have to," he said quietly. 

"What will that do to him?" Hotohori asked. 

"He won't be hurt," Rinrin explained. "But…I don't know what it could do to his mind. He has felt Nisou's presence since she was taken away, and even before that. He may panic."

"But…there's not much chance of mental harm done?" Chiriko queried, looking at Youjin's still form.

"No."

"There's nothing else we can do, no da. He has to come with us to find Nisou." 

"Well if he isn't gonna get hurt and he won't go fuckin' crazy, I don't see why we shouldn't," Tasuki muttered. "And he'll wake up if Rinrin does this." The others looked at Youjin in silence before Hotohori said,

"I think we all agree." He nodded at Rinrin. "Do it." Rinrin nodded, lowering her head in concentration. She whispered a few foreign words and looked sadly at Youjin.

_"I'm sorry."_ She passed a small hand over his face and drew back when Youjin's facial muscles tensed into a frown.

"N-Nisou…" he whispered hoarsely, and opened his eyes.

~*~

During the entire painful ordeal, she had felt him there, beside her. He had protected her mind and heart from the silence that was surrounding her in this dark, damp cell. Soi could torture her body countless times, but Youjin had been there to protect her heart. They were bonded together by some power unknown to them, perhaps fate. And, as long as Youjin was there with her, she could take any kind of pain.

But then, as if the line that bonded them had been cut, Nisou felt alone. 

She sat up and looked around…Youjin was gone. She couldn't feel him. A grave thought chilled her to the bone…what if he had been killed?

She pulled her arms in close to her chest and slowed her raspy breathing. Each breath was more torturous that the last, but all she could think of was Youjin.

_"Please…please be okay."_

~*~

At first, all he could see was the blurry outline of a face. All he could feel was a cold loneliness…and panic. Something was missing. He blinked once, and then twice, as his vision cleared.

"He's fuckin' awake!" the one standing over him shouted.

"T-Tasuki…" Youjin whispered. "Don't talk so loud."

"You're gonna be okay, kid!" Tasuki laughed.

"And don't call me kid."

"Well, it's good to see that you're back with us," Nuriko said from nearby." Youjin heard her and risked an attempt to sit up. This was a bad idea, as a wave of dizziness overtook him. 

"You should be a bit more careful, no da. Trying to sit up probably wasn't a good idea anyways, no da."

"Chichiri…you could've told me a bit sooner," Youjin muttered. After a few moments he regained his senses and tried again to sit up, this time more slowly. He succeeded and looked around.

"It's a good thing that you're awake," Nuriko told him.

"W-what happened? What's going on?" Suddenly, he shivered and added, "Where's Nisou?"

"She's…" Nuriko bit her lip and looked at the others. 

"We still don't know," Mitsukake said. Youjin stood up slowly.

"We should go find her as soon as we can," he said. Looking at Chichiri, he asked, "You said earlier that she was in Sailo?"

"Well, that's where her aura was, no da. So I'm guessing…"

"Alright, we're going."

~*~

_"I can't feel you now, but I know you're coming."_

Her heart beat heavily in her chest; her breathing was shallow, ragged. Amidst the chaos in her mind, one last light of hope mingled. Her body was so numb now that she couldn't feel the pain anymore.

Even though the connection had broken between her and Youjin, Nisou could feel him, and her friends, coming…coming, she hoped, to find her.

"It doesn't matter whether they come for you or not," Soi said mockingly, "They'll never get past me."  Nisou glared at Soi with hatred in her eyes.

"Shut up," she hissed.

"They'll be no trouble to deal with, really," Soi continued, ignoring the girl's words. "It's too bad you never got to say a formal goodbye." 

"Shut up!" Nisou shouted again.

"Or maybe I'll let them see you again…I'll kill them when they get here, and let you watch."

"Stop it!" Nisou cried. "Stop it, stop it, stop it! Y-you'll never, _ever_ be able to get them! _I won't let you!_" A bright reddish light surrounded her and filled her body with warmth. Ignoring the agonizing pain that shot through her body, she slowly stood, and faced Soi. "I won't let you hurt them," she whispered, and the bright crimson glow exploded, filling the room with the power of Suzaku.

~*~

Chichiri looked up at the sky and frowned. _"That power…Suzaku's power?"_

"What's wrong, Chichiri?" Youjin asked, looking at the monk. Chichiri looked back at the young man and shook his head.

"It's nothing, no da. I just feel that…that we have to hurry."

"Hey, Chichiri, why don'tcha just pop us all over there with yer kesa (aka tunic, I think ^_^)? It'd be a hell of a lot faster!" Tasuki shouted. Youjin looked back at Chichiri.

"You can _do_ that?!" he asked.

"Tasuki, if I did that, we'd be _found_, no da!" Chichiri pointed out.

"They probably fuckin' know where we are already! What the hell do we have to lose?" Chichiri raised an eyebrow, and then grinned at Tasuki.

"Well, no da, I suppose we _could_ get there a lot faster…"

"And that way, we can find Nisou faster! C'mon, Chichiri! Please!" Youjin pleaded.

"All right, no da," Chichiri said at last, and spread his kesa on the ground. "Everyone get on, no da."


	17. Seiryuu

Fushigi Yuugi: Everlasting Story 

Disclaimer: The characters of Fushigi Yuugi belong to Yuu Watase. But any new characters belong to me. ^_^

Action and adventure…and stuff…read!! XD

Chapter 17: Seiryuu 

As they emerged at Sailo's border, the Suzaku shichiseishi felt it…a huge flare of power. In an instant, it was gone. Youjin shivered and asked,

"What…what _was_ that?"

"That was Suzaku's power," Rinrin whispered. "But…but something is terribly wrong. How could so much power be released all at once…?"

"I don't know," Youjin said, "But we have to find out…it may have something to do with Nisou."

~*~

Nakago grinned; the girl, Nisou, was acting exactly as planned. She was so much like her predecessor that he could nearly predict her actions… Soi had baited her into using the power of Suzaku, and now she was cut off from the beast god. Perfect.

Nisou glared at him from a bubble of blue light – Nakago's power. 

"Let me go," she whispered hoarsely. Nakago just grinned at her. "Let me go now, bastard!" She hit her prison with her fists, bruising her knuckles and hurting her hands. 

"Your weak efforts are useless," he said at last. "You can't break through my barrier with your fists alone. You would save yourself a lot of trouble if you just sat quietly and waited like a good little girl. You won't be waiting much longer, though – your friends should be here soon." Nisou's eyes widened.

"What are you going to do to them?!"

"I'll kill them, of course," he responded. "And then I'll kill you." Nisou sighed and leaned against the wall of her prison.

_"There's really nothing I can do now,"_ she thought. _"If only there was some way to warn them…to keep them away from here…"_ Glaring at Nakago, she asked, "Why?" Nakago frowned.

"'Why' what?"

"Why do you wish so badly for this world to be destroyed? Why do you want to kill my friends? Why do you have to cause so much suffering for us?" Nakago was silent for a long time before his frown became a frightening smile.

"You naïve little girl," he muttered. "You have no idea what I have been through…how long I've waited for this moment. Those Suzaku seishi, your friends, have caused me untold amounts of trouble. I will repay them for what they did." He paused for a moment and then stood, grinning. "They're here."

~*~

"This…is this it?" Youjin asked, staring up at an immensely tall building.

"Yeah," Tasuki whispered. "I haven't been here in ages, but I remember it."

"Is this where we'll find the Shinzahos?" Nuriko asked, also studying the building.

"I hope so, no da," Chichiri told her. "This was where Yui summoned Seiryuu with the others…and the only place I could think of."

"Well, we're just wasting time standing around! Let's go inside and check things out!" Nuriko went through the doorway, followed by Mitsukake (YES, he's still here), Hotohori, and Youjin. Chichiri, Tasuki, and Chiriko followed them, but the tower door slammed shut as they reached it. Sensing the presence of Seiryuu power, they turned around.

"Suzaku seishi," said the intruder. "You'll be fighting me before you can continue. The three Suzaku seishi glared at the newcomer.

"Miboshi," Tasuki spat. 

"If you can defeat me – which is very questionable, considering the power I've gathered since our last encounter – you may pass."

"Yeah, okay," Tasuki said with a grin, holding his tessen. "Let's just see if you can fucking back those words up!"

~*~

The other four seishi heard the door slam.

"What was that?" Youjin whispered. His quiet voice echoed against the walls.

"I don't know," Hotohori replied.

"And where are the others?" Nuriko added. "They should be with us."

"Should we go look for them?" Youjin suggested. Mitsukake shook his head.

"We'll find them soon. But we have to go find Nisou, as soon as possible. She could be in danger." They continued onward through a long corridor, and then emerged in a large, open room with many adjoining hallways.

"Which way?" Nuriko asked, looking around.

"I don't think we'll know until we guess," Hotohori muttered. Nuriko frowned, stepping forward into the room. She looked at each of the five different corridors that split off from the room, and thought carefully. 

"How about this one?" she suggested, pointing to one to the far left. The others looked amongst themselves and shrugged.

"We won't know till we try," Youjin said. Nuriko started walking toward it, when she was suddenly thrown backwards by a huge, invisible power. She cried out in pain as she hit the floor, and soon the others were at her side.

"Nuriko! Are you alright?" Hotohori asked with deep concern.

"I'm alright," she muttered, struggling to sit up. "But what was that?"

On the other side of the room, the air shimmered. Then, a creature appeared. First as an outline…that of a huge, somewhat-human creature. As details filled in - long, shaggy hair, a scar over one eye – Nuriko's muscles tensed and she rose to her feet.

"You…" she hissed. "It's you!"

Coming Up:

_'Nuriko sprang upon Ashitare and tried to pull him away from her friend, but he was immensely stronger than the last time they had met. Hotohori's sword didn't even scratch the beast. They could do nothing.'_

Old enemies have returned and the final battle approaches! Will the Suzaku Shichiseishi me able to save their Miko? The answer becomes clearer in chapter 18: Enemies!

Character pictures!

Nisou (old pic!): http://elfwood.lysator.liu.se/fanq/g/r/grogan2/fy_nisou.jpg.html

Rinrin: http://www.lunarpages.com/divine/


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